Protect Yourself Against Employment Scams

DCCU is seeing an increase in members being victimized by employment scams. During the pandemic, more people began working from home or seeking work through online avenues. As a result, we have seen an uptick in the number of members being taken advantage of through employment scams, two in particular.

Overpayment Scam

This type of fraud involves business owners who sell a good or service, and are paid via fraudulent check by the individual. Often, the checks are written for an amount well over the price of the goods or services, and the individual will request the business owner return part of the funds via channels like payment applications (such as Cashapp or Venmo), cashier’s checks, or even cash. Requesting money back is a huge red flag. Some of the industries hit hardest by these sorts of scams offer services requiring payment for materials upfront, such as construction, painting, masonry, etc. Not only is the individual at a loss for any money returned to the scammer, they are also usually stuck with any materials they purchased.

Indeed Search Scam

Aptly named for the website where the scam originated, it preys upon individuals desperate for a job. The deception begins with the scammer impersonating a legitimate business or employer in an effort to obtain confidential information from prospective applicants. Using a fake profile, the individual will attempt to establish contact with any prospective applicants. Once they have made contact, they will generally send out tax forms or similar documents to be filled out and sent back to satisfy their “background check” requirements. These forms often ask for social security numbers, date of birth, addresses, full names, and more, and are nothing more than a ploy to steal your identity. This type of scam can be increasingly difficult to recover from as the effects of identity theft can persist for years after the initial occurrence. To better protect yourself against this type of fraud, never give out your personal information to any business or individual you do not trust.

To help avoid these types of scams, here are a few things to keep in mind:

1. Urgency is often manufactured – Many scammers will attempt to defraud you by creating a false sense of urgency to get you to perform the task they have requested. This is a tactic to get you to agree faster without asking appropriate questions about their requests.
2. Make sure the details line up  - If something seems off about the company you are receiving messages from on Indeed, double check the information you’ve been given. Doing some research could expose the “company” as fraudulent, and potentially save you money and the headache of having your identity stolen.
3. Don’t answer demands – Many scammers will threaten to take legal action if you do not meet their demands, but no trustworthy business or individual would ever require payment on the spot without question.
4. Trust your intuition – Your intuition is often right. If something seems off, it probably is. Exercise caution to better protect your identity and finances from potential scams.

It is much easier to prevent a scam than it is to recover from one, so it is important that you remain diligent in protecting yourself. If you believe you may have been a victim of one of these scams, please contact DCCU right away at 800.845.8085.