The scam
These scammers target job seekers. The scammer tells you that, before you get the job, you must first pay a fee or provide your banking or other personal information, or they send you an advance payment by cheque that they want you to cash.
Transcript
Face it... we all know that you have to work hard to
make money. But don't you secretly wish there was a shortcut
to money and wealth? Well, that's where crooks jump in with employment
scams: making big promises to people looking for
jobs ... taking their money...
and delivering... nothing.
If you hear this - "Make a fortune without leaving your living
room!!!" it could be a front for an illegal money laundering
activity or a pyramid scheme. Either way... it's almost certainly a fairy
tale. If you hear this --
"Just invest a few hundred dollars up front and we'll set you up for life!"...
what do you think the scammers are really after?
Yep... your cash. Once they've got it... you've got a garage
full of useless products... and they're history. And if you hear this -
"You're hired...as our secret shopper!" ...beware.
Crooks may ask you to deposit into your bank account cheques they send you,
take a "commission", and then send money back to them through a money transfer
service. Problem is, the cheques are fake....
and your bank account takes the hit. There's no shortcut to wealth.
Do your research. Hang on to your personal information,
and really look hard at any job that seems too good to be true...
because it almost certainly is. Learn more - check out The Little Black Book
of Scams.
Video length: 1 minute, 35 seconds
How it works
TThe scammer posts an ad or contacts you by spam email or other means and offers a great job or business opportunity.
Sometimes, the scam is presented as an opportunity to make lots of money working from home. Many of these scams are fronts for illegal money laundering or pyramid schemes.
How to spot it
The scammer promises or guarantees a lot of income for little or no effort.
There are many different types of job scams. For example, the scammer may:
- claim to guarantee you either a job or a certain level of income
- say the job involves using your bank account to receive and pass on payments for a foreign company, and they promise you a commission for each payment you pass on
- offer you a job as a “secret shopper” to test the services of a company that cashes cheques or transfers money
- offer you a job that requires you to pay an upfront fee for a business plan, start up materials, or software, or that requires you to recruit other people
- say they’ll send you a cheque now as an incentive or signing bonus, but you need to transfer part of the amount using a money-transfer service. After you do this, the bank reverses the deposit because the cheque is fraudulent.
Protect yourself
- Beware of any claims of guaranteed income. Remember: There are no shortcuts to wealth.
- Don’t make a decision without carefully researching the offer and getting independent advice.
- Never send your banking or credit card details to someone you don’t know and trust.
- Don’t agree to cash a cheque. No legitimate business will send you a cheque upfront and tell you that you need to transfer some of the money to them. If you cash a fraudulent cheque, your bank could make you pay back the money lost.
- Get all the details in writing before paying for something or signing any documents.
Further reading
- How to report fraud and scams in Canada
- Job scams (Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre)
- Becoming your own boss: yes, but not at any cost