Hobart Police report that the Northern Indiana Better Business Bureau is warning region residents of a check cashing and overpayment scam circulating that takes advantage of those seeking employment. According to the report, you reply to a help wanted ad for a job out of town or overnight, and after you send your resume you get emails from an “agent”stating you got the job, and to start, they mail you a check, using phony shipping labels, that supposedly covers your hours and expenses, but that you need to deduct 350-dollars to confirm bookings, and wire money to a name and address provided. Once you deposit the check, the full amount appears to be in your bank account; however, it takes a couple days to clear, and when the bank sees the check is a fraud, the money is deducted from your account, and if you wired the money then you are out 350-dollars. The Better Business Bureau reports job seekers report receiving envelops that have the B-B-B's name and return address on them to lend credibility to this scam.
How to Spot a Fake Job Ad:
• Job postings and reply emails with a lot of grammatical errors and misspellings are likely scams.
The typo "production acoounlnt" is a classic example.
• Ads containing the phrases "Immediate Start" and "No Experience Needed" are popular in
scam ads.
• If a job looks suspicious, search for it in Google. If the result comes up in many other cities
with the exact same job post, it is likely a scam.
• Be very cautious of any job that asks you to share personal information or hand over money.
Scammers will often use the guise of running a credit check, setting up direct deposit or paying
for training.
• Check out the business's website to make sure the opening is posted there. If you are still
skeptical, call the business to check on the position.
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