Why That High-Paying Summer Gig Could Be A Scammer’s Trap

Looking for a summer gig?

You might want to double-check that online job posting before handing over your social security number.

Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday is warning job seekers, including students and recent grads hunting for summer work, to keep their guards up against a wave of sketchy online employment scams.

Phony work-from-home gigs are flooding the internet and dangling promises of easy money, high pay, and flexible hours.

But officials warn these listings are often nothing more than bait designed to trick desperate applicants into coughing up sensitive personal and financial data.

“If a job posting seems too good to be true, it probably is. Remember, a legitimate employer will never ask for payment upfront as part of the hiring process,” Sunday said.

State law enforcement officials said the fraudsters are getting creative and using a few specific traps to hook victims.

In one common hustle, applicants are hired to receive high-priced electronics at their homes, which were actually bought using stolen credit cards. The “employee” is told to repackage and reship the items to a new address. By the time payday rolls around and the victim tries to contact their boss, the phone number is disconnected and the company website vanishes into thin air.

Another racket targets people out of the blue or through targeted ads, offering them a “job” buying luxury brand products below retail value to resell for a quick profit. But once the victim wires the cash for the inventory, the package either never shows up, or arrives filled with worthless junk.

The Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office Bureau of Consumer Protection has tips to avoid being scammed:

Search online. Look up the name of the company or the person who’s hiring you, plus the words “scam,” “review,” or “complaint.” See if others say they’ve been scammed by that company or person. No complaints? It doesn’t guarantee that a company is honest, but complaints can tip you off to possible problems.

Talk to someone you trust. Discussing the offer with a friend or family member can help identify red flags before taking action.

Don’t pay for the promise of a job. Honest employers, including the government, will never ask for you to pay to get a job. Anyone who does is a scammer.

One Pennsylvanian was offered a part-time work-from-home job. She was told she would get an Apple laptop to begin her work but that she needed to buy and send her employer two $200 prepaid gift cards for the company to load the software onto the computer. When she began setting up her direct deposit for her new role, the “employer” told her she would be paid in cryptocurrency. This raised red flags for her and she did not move forward with the “job.”

Never bank on a “cleared” check. No honest potential employer will ever send you a check to deposit and then tell you to send on part of the money, or buy gift cards with it. That’s a fake check scam. The check will bounce, and the bank will want you to repay the amount of the fake check.

One Pennsylvanian accepted what appeared to be a legitimate remote position with a medical technology company. The company mailed this person a check to pay for their supplies to start their new work-from-home job. When they cashed the check, the bank called the next day to tell them the check was fictitious and they owed the bank the full amount back.

Call the company to verify the offer. Be sure to obtain the phone number off the company’s website – not the phone number included in any potential job offers.

Another Pennsylvanian applied for a job on Indeed for a virtual personal assistant role with the Ocean Club of Florida. The “employer” did the interview over email and text because the “employer” was allegedly hard of hearing. This Pennsylvanian got the job and the “employer” sent her a check that she was supposed to send partial funds back to her “employer”. She discussed it with her friend and realized something was off. Upon researching the company, she found the company is real. The person she was supposed to be in contact with was real, but she was speaking with a scammer who had used this company and its employees in their scam.

Check the sender’s email address carefully. Legitimate businesses typically use official company domains rather than personal email accounts such as Gmail or AOL. Government email addresses will always end in “.gov.”

If you paid a scammer – immediately contact the company you used to send the money to report the fraud, and ask to have the transaction reversed, if possible.

Officials said that if you have fallen victim to an employment scam, you are encouraged to file a complaint with the Bureau of Consumer Protection.

Pennsylvanians can file complaints online, by emailing consumers@attorneygeneral.gov, or by calling 1-800-441-2555.