SAN ANTONIO - The News 4 WOAI Trouble Shooters are keeping you informed about the latest scams targeting job seekers. Whether you're trying to find work online or using the newspaper, some listings are not what they seem. We're not talking about the traditional “work-at-home’ or “get-rich-quick” type scams we’ve all seen before. Now scammers are going after people just interested in putting in an honest day's work cleaning or babysitting.
Laura Garcia found an ad on CraigsList for house cleaning. The posting offered $25 an hour.
“We do get some jobs for our construction company off of it, so I go to it everyday,” explained Garcia.
But she immediately became suspicious when the man offering the job wanted to pay her in advance. He sent her a check for $3,300, told her to deposit it into her account, keep several hundred dollars as her pay, and send the rest back to him.
“It's common for me that any check that I receive I have to call the bank where it's issued to make sure it has funds. I make sure the business does exist and is legitimate,” recounted Garcia.
Sure enough, the bank told her the check was a fraud. If Garcia had deposited it, the check would have bounced after several days, and she would have been out the money she had sent to the phony employer.
“Even if it looks so innocent, you need to research it, and not get involved because, to be out of 25-hundred dollars is a lot,” warns Garcia.
Sometimes it's a smaller amount of money. Like an ad in the San Antonio Express News. It reads, “Baby Sitter Needed Immediately. 700-Dollars a Week.” So we dialed the number. A recorded message said, "We're looking for an energetic fun loving individual" and instructed us to apply for the job online. "You may apply immediately for this position at WonderfulNanny.com."
But when you go to the website, you are told you must pay a ten dollar fee just to submit your application.
The Better Business Bureau says dozens of job seekers paid the fee and never heard back from WonderfulNanny.com. The BBB gives the website an "F" rating.
So be cautious when responding to job ads. Remember, no legitimate employer is going to ask you for money, or give you money, before any work is done.
