March 4th, 2009 by Reed Allmand 
Just when we thought things couldn’t get worse, according to an article in the Dallas Morning News, the rising job losses nationwide are bringing out a new type of predator, job scammers.
The Way Job Scams Work
One type of job scam operates by sending emails to unemployed people claiming to have seen their resume online and requesting that they fill out an online application. The online application asks for personal information such as a driver’s license number, Social Security number to supposedly verify their identity. The online application may also request the unemployed person’s bank account or credit card number to allegedly run a credit check. This is an identity theft scam.
Another job scam involves a request that the unemployed job seeker pay for information about government jobs such as a position at the post office. Usually money is sent and nothing is sent in return or the unemployed job seeker is sent information they could have gotten for free.
The bottom-line is that if you’re unemployed, DO NOT ever send personal information such as Social Security numbers, driver’s license numbers or bank account/credit card info to companies you do not know. Whatever you do in your quest for a job, protect your identity and the existing cash and assets you have left. Unfortunately, the current environment encourages predators who often target the weak, which includes those struggling because of a job loss. Many individuals have been forced into bankruptcy because someone stole and abused their identity. Don’t become a victim.
About Reed Allmand
Allmand's vision is rooted in his own financially precarious childhood in Abilene "My father always had difficulty holding a job and supporting our family, so after my parents divorced when I was 12, my sister and I got jobs to help make ends meet," he recalls. "I remember what it felt like as a child to worry that our car would be repossessed or home foreclosed on."
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