COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — It takes work to find a new job. Sifting through want ads and postings on employment websites seems like a good place to start. But the Better Business Bureau of Central Ohio has a warning for job hunters — be on the lookout for fake listings.
One was recently brought to the bureau’s attention, a listing for a marketing specialist at SCADA Integrators & Services LLC on the popular employment platform, LinkedIn. Within one week, the BBB received three reports regarding the position. Applicants did their own research and spotted some discrepancies that raised a few flags.
The company is located in Lafayette, Louisiana, not at the Louisville, Ohio address used on LinkedIn. Additionally, the phone number listed was a Google number, not the phone number found on the company’s website. And the email address used in the posting was altered from the company owner’s actual email address.
“It’s believable. They’re very good at what they do,” said Judy Dollison, President of the Better Business Bureau of Central Ohio. Dollison said employment scams like this are on the rise in Central Ohio. Reports submitted to the BBB were up 23.1% from 2021 to 2022, making it the second riskiest scam last year, and affecting a certain age group the most.
“Employment scams was very high in 18- to 25-year-olds,” said Dollison. The median amount of money lost among them is $1,500. “We had not seen that age group lose that much before,” Dollison said, adding that any business conducted online is more susceptible to money loss.
But Dollison said it’s important for anyone who spends time online to know what to look for, just like the job seekers who reported the phony post. Even if you’re using a legitimate website, like LinkedIn, look closely for spelling or grammatical errors, double-check contact information, like emails and phone numbers, and take matters into your own hands.
Look up the company’s website, contact them directly, and find out if they’re really hiring.
To read the BBB’s full warning, click here.
