Help Me Hank: Avoiding online employment scams

Scammers try to get personal information from job seekers

DETROIT – Scammers trying to get personal information are targeting victims with online job opportunities.

Catherine Murphy became the victim of an employment scam when she found what appeared to be a good-paying job online.

Murphy said she got an email saying her application was received from Career Builder. She then got an email saying she had gotten the job.

Her new boss told her he was moving his company from Canada to Detroit and he needed her to deposit a cashier's check into her account to buy new furniture.

"I got contact from my bank saying that, 'Your check has been voided and there's no money in that account,'" Murphy said.

To avoid becoming a victim of a job scam, make sure resumes you upload online don't include your home address. Also, create a separate email account to be used on your job search.

If someone contacts you about a job you didn't apply for or show interest in, be cautious. Additionally, if a potential employer asks for money to review your resume, that is a sign that the job is probably a scam.


About the Authors

Hank Winchester is Local 4’s Consumer Investigative Reporter and the head of WDIV’s “Help Me Hank” Consumer Unit. Hank works to solve consumer complaints, reveal important recalls and track down thieves who have ripped off people in our community.

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