{"id":173107,"date":"2023-08-30T08:00:08","date_gmt":"2023-08-30T15:00:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/?p=173107"},"modified":"2024-07-04T04:18:36","modified_gmt":"2024-07-04T11:18:36","slug":"online-job-scams-tiktokers-tell-their-stories-with-a-warning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/internet-security\/online-job-scams-tiktokers-tell-their-stories-with-a-warning\/","title":{"rendered":"Online Job Scams \u2013 TikTokers Tell Their Stories, with a Warning"},"content":{"rendered":"

We reported earlier this year, <\/span>a fresh rash of online job scams<\/span><\/a> continue to rope in plenty of victims. Now, those victims are taking to TikTok with a warning.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.tiktok.com.mcas.ms\/@thenamesamber\/video\/7188616142062275886<\/p>\n

Source, thenamesamber on <\/span><\/i>TikTok<\/span><\/i><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Take the story <\/span>thenamesamber<\/span><\/i> told on TikTok. It starts out like many. Amber wanted a job that allowed remote work, and luckily enough, a recruiter reached out to her through an online recruiting site with an opportunity.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

From there, the recruiter directed Amber to download a messaging app, which the company would use for the interview process. The interview went just fine, Amber got a job offer, and then the company asked Amber for a home address.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Here’s where the catch comes in.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Amber goes on to say that the company sent her a check by overnight mail, a check she should use to buy equipment. A check for nearly $5,000. For days, the check didn\u2019t post. The company repeatedly asked for update. Had it posted yet? Had it posted yet?\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

At this point, Amber said she got suspicious. She contacted her bank. The check had a hold placed on it, and according to Amber, she was charged a fee and her account frozen for days. In speaking with her bank, Amber was told that the check was bad and that she was the victim of a scam. The bank has seen a lot of it lately, said Amber.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Yet based on what we\u2019ve seen, Amber got lucky.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What do online job scams look like?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

Victims and banks sometimes fail to spot the scam as it unfolds. In those cases, the check gets posted and the scammers tell the victim to forward the money to another person who\u2019ll purchase equipment for them. Usually by way of an online payment app.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Days later, the check bounces for insufficient funds. Meanwhile, victims get burdened with the fraud reporting process \u2014 with their bank and with the payment app they used. Depending on the means and terms of payment, some or all of that money might be gone for good. And as a result, the scammers get a few thousand dollars richer.\u00a0 <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

If you spend some time on social media, you\u2019ll stumble across plenty of videos that tell this exact story in one form or another. And with each story, you\u2019ll find dozens of people sharing that the same thing happened, or almost happened, to them.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

We\u2019re glad people are taking to TikTok to share their stories, even as sharing those stories can get painful. You can avoid these scams. Part of it involves awareness. They\u2019re still going strong. The next part counts on you and your sharp eye to spot sketchy behavior when you see it.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

We\u2019ll show you how, and that begins with a look at where these scams take place.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Online job scams \u2014 what\u2019s going on out there?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

Employment figures continue to surge. It\u2019s a hot job market out there, and when things get hot, you\u2019ll find scammers looking to turn a buck. It\u2019s much like tax season and gift-giving holidays. Scammers will take advantage of trends and seasonal events where people go online and there\u2019s money involved. Job scams are no different.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Where do these scams crop up?<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As we reported earlier this year and as TikTok videos have shared, many appear to originate from trusted online recruiting platforms like LinkedIn and Indeed. Scammers will either set up a bogus company or pose as a representative of a legitimate company. In other cases, job scams take root on social media. Here, scammers play the same game\u2014set up a bogus company or impersonate a legitimate one.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

From there, stories like Amber\u2019s unfold.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Without question, recruiting and social media platforms know what\u2019s going on and take steps to quash scam accounts.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For example,\u202f<\/span>LinkedIn\u2019s latest community report cited the removal of more than 21 million fake accounts in the first half of 2022<\/span><\/a>:\u202f<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n