BBB Tip of the Week: BBB Risk Report 2018
Employment scams were the riskiest con for consumers of 2018, according to the latest report from the Better Business Bureau. These scams topped the list for both men and women, for three of BBB’s six age brackets and for both students and veterans, according to data from the BBB Scam Tracker Risk report (BBB.org/RiskReport).
How the scam works
In 2018, job scams often impersonated Amazon. The reason? Amazon was frequently in the news with its high-profile search for a second headquarters. In 2017, only 24 BBB Scam Tracker reports were employment scams that mentioned Amazon. In 2018, that jumped to 564.
Amazon scams and other employment cons typically follow the same patterns. Scammers contact victims using resumes posted online, posting phony job listings or cold emailing targets. In most versions, the target starts corresponding with the “business” about a job opening. Here’s the bait: The pay is good; you can start immediately; and they don’t even require an in-person interview. The catch of course is the job doesn’t really exist. The scammer may ask you to pay upfront for training or a background check. In other versions, the con artist asks you to deposit a (fake) check and wire back part of the money. They may even get your bank account number to “direct deposit” your paycheck.
How to spot a job scam
Be very cautious of any job that asks you to share personal information or pay money. Scammers often use the guise of running a credit check, setting up direct deposit or paying for training.
If a job looks suspicious, search for it online. Google the title and company name. If the result comes up in many other cities with the exact same post, it may be a scam.
Check out the business’s website. Scammers often falsely use the names of real businesses. Check on the business’s site or give them a call to confirm the position exists.
The BBB Risk Report has been published annually since 2016 and has provided Better Business Bureaus around the country with statistics and information to help elevate the education of consumers and businesses. In 2018, there were 50,559 scams reported with an average dollar loss of $152, which was a 33.3 percent decrease from 2017.
The BBB Scam Tracker Risk Report uses the BBB Risk Index, a three-dimensional measure of scam risk based on exposure, susceptibility and monetary loss. The three can be broken down into questions: Exposure – How likely are you to be targeted by a particular scam? Susceptibility – what are your odds of losing money when exposed? And monetary loss – If you lose money, how big will your losses be?
For more information, check out BBB.org/RiskReport to learn more about the top scams of 2018 and BBB.org/EmploymentScam to learn more about spotting job scams.
To learn more about scams in general, go to BBB.org/ScamTips. If you’ve been targeted by this scam, help others avoid the same problem by reporting your experience on the BBB.org/ScamTracker.