GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) — There’s been an increase in employment scams across the United States.
Susan Bach of the Better Business Bureau says the problem has become worse than ever during the pandemic.
“During 2020, we estimate there were about 14 million victims with about $2 billion in direct losses as the result of job scams, Bach told WTAQ.
That is expected to continue, especially as more people begin job searches following the end of the federal government’s expanded unemployment relief.
“Usually a victim is contacted by a scammer after they’ve uploaded a resume to an online website,” said Bach.
Then, she says, the scammers call for a short, phony interview and offer the victim a job.
“But really what they’re getting into is a fake check scam, or even other scams, like a money mule.”
Money mules are people who are duped by criminals into making money transfers on behalf of others. The money transferred is usually the product of other scams.
The jobs are usually advertised as “reshipper”, “packager” or “administrative assistant”.
Bach says to check the legitimacy of an employer by searching them online. You can also search the company name and the word “scam”. Some scammers pose as legitimate employers.
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