FBI warning job seekers about scammers posting fake job listings

PITTSBURGH — If you’re looking for a job right now, the FBI has a warning for you.

Cybercriminals are using fake job listings to target applicants, taking their money and personal information.

A local staffing agency says it’s not hard to find legitimate job openings right now.

“There are tons of jobs out there. At any given time, probably now I have about 100 openings,” said Pam Weigand, owner of Krown Employment Services.

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While she is seeing more employers looking for employees, she’s not seeing an uptick in fake job scams locally.

Fake job scams have been around for a long time but technology has made it even easier for criminals.

According to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center, about 16,000 people reported being victims of employment scams in 2020.

Their combined losses totaled more than $62 million.

In 2020, Pennsylvania reported 486 victims with $3 million in losses.

• Allegheny: 75 victims; $1,991,106 losses
• Beaver: 5 victims; $16,470 losses
• Butler: 9 victims; $9,551 losses
• Washington: 9 victims; $9,206 losses
• Westmoreland: 25 victims; $13,069 losses

As of April 24, 4,470 victims reported this scam with over $12.8 million in losses nationwide; 30 are victims within these five counties with losses of nearly $21,000. The average loss was approximately $2,800 per victim nationwide. The average loss within these five counties is $697.

“Make sure it’s a legitimate company. I would make sure to look up to make sure there’s a website for the company as well as there’s a lot of new companies opening up, but I would tell you to do your due diligence regarding looking for a job. It is a job to look for a job,” Weigand said.

Scam: Calls claiming to be from local police department, FBI seeking Social Security numbers

Cox Media Group