Five Id Theft Protection Tips for Phony Job Postings

Looking for work can be stressful enough.

Now there's evidence being reported to the national
job boards such as HotJobs, Monster, etc. to make them
cautious enough now to issue identity theft warnings to
would be job seekers responding to their advertisements.

On-line job postings are another weapon identity
thieves use by taking advantage of job seekers' desire
to please potential employers. The identity thief,
masquerading as a legitimate employer, will ask for all
sorts of personal information from you up-front:

• Name
• Birth Date
• Credit Information

Basically, all the crucial pieces of personal
information that's needed to create a phony id under
your name to commit fraud.

Be wary about even the most legitimate-sounding
requests for your personal information as it just may
not be warranted.

So, our tips for today are to:

1. Do not give your social security number unless you are
   confident that the other party is who they claim to
   be. For example, you could ask them for a call-back number
   to use for verification purposes.
2. Be careful when providing credit card or bank
   information, or engaging in any monetary transactions.
   Be sure to verify the legitimacy of the employer with
   whom you are interacting.
3. Do not provide any non-work-related personal
   information (e.g., Social Security Number,
   marital status,Date of Birth) over the phone
   or on line.
4. Be cautious when dealing with contacts outside
   your own country.
5. Be wary of emails that offer an opportunity that
   involves acting as a go-between for money transfers.
   Disregard the email and DO NOT follow through with the
   employment offer being made.