GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- If someone reaches out to you offering a job, make sure they are on the up and up and don't end up pulling the rug out from under your feet.
That was the jist of the message delivered Tuesday on West Michigan's Morning News. Katie Grevious is the Marketing & Communications Manager for the Better Business Bureau of Western Michigan. She spoke about the resurgence of employment scams recently. They often offer a job that sounds good, such as working from home and making a lot of money with not much effort.
"But then, unfortunately, once you start doing that work you share Social Security number, your bank account number to get all set up for your direct pay. And, sometimes, you even do some of the work," Grevious said. "It turns out, everyone cuts off communication from you, you never get paid, and now all your information is out there for anyone to take."
The BBB says the scam artists/fake employers reach out to you on a platform such as a text message or an email. It usually comes from a company you've never heard of. She says that is a red flag.
"Unless you've been in the business a long, long time and you're being specifically head-hunted for a very specific job, it's unlikely an entry-level position is just going to fall into your lap like that," Grevious said.
It is a ripe season for the scammers, with tax returns being filed and people preparing to go on spring break.
Grevious said a lot of people got used to working at home during the pandemic and there may be some carry-over.
"It's every easy to see that line of work that gives you great pay and allows you to have that home life. It's really easy to get caught up and believe what people are saying until it's too late," she said.
The BBB says it is important to be sure you are on the correct website and it is secure with the Hypertext transfer protocol secure (HTTPS) used to send data between a web browser and a website, before you put in any sensitive information such as a credit-card number or Social Security number.
"That's going to put an extra layer of protection on your information. So, you never want to send information - whether you're shopping online or applying for a job - over text message, or email, or anything like. You want to be on a secure website so that you know that you're information is, at least, somewhat safeguarded," Grevious said.
###