You receive an email from someone who appears to be a recruiter. A portion of the email indicates:
***The following is important information regarding your employment application.
We conduct thorough background checks on qualified applicants as part of our employment screening process. We only conduct background checks when we feel a position is available for an applicant.
Our Verification Check includes the following information:
Work Experience Verification
Educational Verification
Criminal Record Verifications
Consumer Report Verifications
Each employer has a unique and specific criterion that is used to determine the qualifications of certain positions that are available within their organization.
Erroneous information in your consumer report can prevent you from obtaining a job offer for which you are otherwise qualified. Companies in industries that provide employees with access to sensitive information rely heavily on the contents of these consumer reports.
We offer our applicants the opportunity to pre-verify the information that we obtain in our decision making processes.
To pre-verify your consumer report today:
As a convenience to our applicants and prospective employees, we have partnered with a company that enables you to receive your complimentary consumer report. Please visit http://www.empscreeninc.com/prescreen.htm to request your report. The link takes you to a spot where you can get a free credit report, but you also enroll in credit report monitoring at $14.95 a month. Ridiculous.
Any American can get a free credit bureau report or all the reports at once at http://www.annualcreditreport.com. This is the only legitimate website created for the purchase of the federal mandate giving each American one free report a year from each of the bureaus. This is a valid website and won't cost you a thing. FICO scores are available, but there is a small charge.
The take-away here: Be careful when responding to "recruiter" emails; some are bogus. And ALWAYS read the fine print BEFORE you get something on the internet. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. If you still question it, just conduct a Google search and see if any complaints pop up.
Showing posts with label scam. Show all posts
Showing posts with label scam. Show all posts
Feb 22, 2010
Oct 2, 2007
Consumer Tip: Credit Card and Banking Safety
It happened again today. I work at a financial institution and every day we hear of a customer (or customers) giving out their personal information over the phone. Thieves have changed their tactics over the years, but they're all after the same thing- your personal information, including your routing and account number, and/or your credit card number. Give them your date of birth and/or social security number and you can just count on being tied up with law enforcement and collectors for the next year.
For several years, we've all heard of scammers phishing for information, often posing as your financial institution or a well known company you've dealt with in the past, like Microsoft or eBay. These emails will often carry the company logo or an icon with a link and inform you that your account has been breached or perhaps you need to update your personal information. Don't ever attempt anything of that nature using a link from an email. More than likely, it's bogus. If you suspect you need to contact the company in question, pick up the phone and give them a ring or go directly to their website.
Lately, scam artists have taken to the phones using similar tactics. Posing as collection agents or a representative of the company, they'll inform you that the last payment was missed and you need to make that now to avoid a late fee. We'll even take that payment over the phone. If you cannot verify that person's identity and if they cannot provide a call back number, hang up the phone. That caller may be seeking your credit card number, not to take a payment on your XM radio account, but to max out your line of credit. These clowns often have lengthy shopping lists and can max out a $10,000 line of credit in minutes, if not less. That's all it takes folks.
Lesson of the day: Do not share your personal information with anyone you do not know, especially to folks making unsolicited phone calls. If you believe it may be a valid call, get their name and offer to call them back. You can usually Google the phone number or check this link to see other possible reports on the same phone number: www.complaintsboard.com. -SH
For several years, we've all heard of scammers phishing for information, often posing as your financial institution or a well known company you've dealt with in the past, like Microsoft or eBay. These emails will often carry the company logo or an icon with a link and inform you that your account has been breached or perhaps you need to update your personal information. Don't ever attempt anything of that nature using a link from an email. More than likely, it's bogus. If you suspect you need to contact the company in question, pick up the phone and give them a ring or go directly to their website.
Lately, scam artists have taken to the phones using similar tactics. Posing as collection agents or a representative of the company, they'll inform you that the last payment was missed and you need to make that now to avoid a late fee. We'll even take that payment over the phone. If you cannot verify that person's identity and if they cannot provide a call back number, hang up the phone. That caller may be seeking your credit card number, not to take a payment on your XM radio account, but to max out your line of credit. These clowns often have lengthy shopping lists and can max out a $10,000 line of credit in minutes, if not less. That's all it takes folks.
Lesson of the day: Do not share your personal information with anyone you do not know, especially to folks making unsolicited phone calls. If you believe it may be a valid call, get their name and offer to call them back. You can usually Google the phone number or check this link to see other possible reports on the same phone number: www.complaintsboard.com. -SH
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