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‘They want to play on your emotions’: Job scams on the rise as more East Texans look for work

By Tori Bean,

2023-02-17

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TYLER, Texas ( KETK ) – With the price of living rising, more people are looking for work to survive. Mechele Mills with the Central East Texas BBB says it’s making them easy targets for scammers.

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“Typically what they want to do is they want to play on your emotions and if you’re in desperate need of a job, you can be emotionally charged by that and they will take advantage of that,” said Michele Mills, President/CEO, Central East Texas BBB.

With more employers turning to online applications or using outside sources to hire employees, it’s hard to know what is a real posting and what is fake.

“How these scams work is either there will be a fake posting online or you might receive a text message or an email,” said Mills.

The Federal Trade Commission says more than 22-thousand people reported job scams in the third quarter of 2022. 16 of those cases were here in Tyler.

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“Really do your homework and go with the rule that if something sounds too good to be true it probably is,” said Lesley Jones, executive director, Christian Women’s Job Corps of Tyler.

While you are job hunting on LinkedIn, Indeed, or Facebook there are a few tips you need to keep in mind.

“If they ask you for your account information before you have even been hired and gone through orientation and all of that then that would defiantly be a red flag,” said Mills.

There are companies like the Christians Women’s Job Corp of Tyler that helps you find a job, but say most places won’t charge you for their services.

“They are looking at helping them refine their resume and apply for jobs that are in line with their skills and goals,” said Jones.

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According to the FTC, the average amount of money lost from a job scam in the United States was $2,000.

Mills says that’s why you should always remember this important tip.

“One thing you should never do is pay for your own background check, pay for your own whatever fees there are, that’s the cost of doing business and the business should always pay for that,” said Mills.

Helping save you from losing your identity or money.

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