The Wall Street Journal has a great article that job seekers should read. I have pasted the story below and provided a link to the original article. Always be careful giving out your personal information!
“With the jobless rate still high, more job-spamming websites than ever are popping up to prey on the unemployed.
The Better Business Bureau recently released a report on how to spot such sites — which typically promise to help you find a job after you provide payment or personal information upfront. The people running the scam sites then take off with the money or use the personal information for identity theft.
“Folks looking for jobs, maybe even desperate at the time, are more apt to consider these opportunities that might not be legitimate,” says Felicia Thompson, a vice president of communications for the Better Business Bureau. The biggest red flag is a request for your sensitive personal information, such as a bank account or Social Security number. Such information is never requested at the start of a legitimate job-search process.
Job hunters also should be wary of sites that only allow you to communicate with someone via email. If there’s a hiring company and contact information listed on the site, do an online search on that information. Also check the Better Business Bureau (bbb.org) for complaints.
Another red flag: A testimonial from a “working mom” claiming to be supplementing her income while working from home. And if a site makes “As Seen On” claims from national or local news outlets, verify that the story was reported.”