Job Searches and Identity Theft - What You Need to Know
Protect yourself from identity theft while searching for a new job.
Identity theft is the last thing you think about when looking for a new job. Unfortunately, it can't be. Identity thieves are lurking wherever they can to steal your identity and that includes the job market.
Identity theft and job searches
You just lost your job. You thought it couldn't get any worse. But then you find that while you were hard at work hunting for new work, a thief was lurking in the background stealing your information. This can't happen -- can it?
Unfortunately, it can as one man found out as he replied to a job search on Monster.com.
Jim thought he had found the perfect job. He was qualified and the salary and benefits look better than the job he just lost. The "employer" contacted him stating that they were interested in hiring him immediately. There was plenty of work and the clients were big names. So big, in fact, that he would need security clearance before they could proceed with the hiring process.
Red Flag...
Any time anyone asks for your social security number, account numbers, credit card numbers, home address, and phone number -- beware.Obviously, this great job didn't exist for Jim. The ad on Monster.com was fraudulent. The only time an employer will ever need personal information from you is for hiring purposes and personnel is filling out the paperwork.
No matter how good a job sounds or how desperate you are for a job, never, never give out personal information... even if you are applying for a job on a reputable job search site. Identity theft happens more often than you'd like think.