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Job Offer Scams

Report a Scam: If you think you've been scammed, or have questions about offers and scams, call the Attorney General's consumer hotline at: 1-877-877-9392.
Written complaints can be sent to: Financial Fraud/Consumer Protection Section | 1162 Court St. NE | Salem, OR 97301
Learn more at the: Oregon Department of Justice​

Phone Scam

Be Careful

Some Oregon job seekers have been contacted with job offers that turn out to be scams.

Online Job Scams

The Internet has made it easy to create and send out bogus or deceptive job offers through email, or even legitimate job sites.

Scammers also create websites that use the name of legitimate businesses. Personal information harvested from you during the hiring process can be used for identity theft, or it may be sold to a third party. Therefore, it pays to be vigilant during your job search.

Look Out For Red Flags

Here are some "red flags" that could signal your job offer is a scam:
  • You are told to pay an employment "processing fee"
  • You are asked to pay for mandatory training in order to be considered for the job
  • You are notified by email that you have the job, without any interview process
  • You are asked to submit your Social Security Number, a copy of your driver's license or birth certificate for a background check
    • Never give out information until you have researched the company
    • The same applies if they ask for your bank account information, your mother's maiden name or a copy of your Credit Report
  • You are chosen to be a "secret shopper," issued a check with instructions to shop at specific stores and asked to wire a large amount of the check to the employer in order to evaluate the wire transfer company
  • You are hired for "re-shipping/quality control" to verify that their orders are shipped correctly
    • They are actually looking to hire you as a "fence" for items purchased with stolen credit
  • Checks or money orders are made out to you, without any exchange of a product or service
  • You are asked to deposit money into your personal bank account and then wire or overnight an amount to a third party
  • You are sent messages from a webmail account only
    • Most legitimate employers will email you from a company's email address
    • Be especially alert if the email's "From:" address that different from the email address where they want you to reply to them