Preventing Identity Theft with Online Job Seeking
These days, online job seeking has moved from the newspaper advertisements to online job boards and services. Job seekers are at high risk for identity theft by providing their own personal information on these online sites for potential employers and identity thieves to take on. If you are in the market for a new job and you are taking advantage of online services, there are a few things every consumer should take into consideration.
Your Resume
It is essential to get a job that a consumer post their resume. When you post your resume it contains information regarding skills, job history and your personal profile. Though there is information necessary to get a job, there is some information that does not belong on your resume. This information includes items such as your social security number, date of birth, gender, driver’s license number, marital status, age, and even the year you graduated from school.
Applying for Jobs
When you are applying for jobs online or responding to job offers online, it is impossible to tell whether or not you are dealing with an identity thief or a legitimate company looking to hire you. Some warning signs of non-legitimate job offers are:
- Social Security Number Requests – If a company requests your social security number for a “background check” prior to hiring you, avoid them. A company should not need your social security number to conduct an interview and will not perform a background check until they have actually offered you a position.
- Research – If you are offered an interview or job by a company through an online service, research the company. Look for a physical address, local contact and request to speak directly to their Human Resources Department.
- Online Jobs – Often these online job boards are full of work-at-home opportunities. Though there are a few that are legitimate, majority of them are scam artists from other countries preying on individuals looking for work. When you are hired for a job to work from home, ensure that the company you are working from is located within the United States. Be sure that they have a physical address, local contact and reputable references from other employees that have worked for the company.
Remember that some scam artists will bait employees to apply for their jobs by offering large sums of money without much work. When you come across these types of job offers it is important to always remember that if it sounds too good to be true, it most likely is. Never speak to employers that require upfront payments in order to do work with them. You should never have to pay an employer to hire you.