Work at Home Scams - Job One: Don't Take the Bait

Everyone’s seen them—seductive work-at-home opportunities hyped in flyers tacked to telephone poles, in newspaper classifieds, in your e-mail, and all over the web, promising you hundreds or thousands of dollars a week for typing, stuffing envelopes, processing medical billing, etc. And it’s just a phone call or mouse click away…

Might be tempting during these uncertain economic times, but beware of any offers that promise easy money for minimum effort—many are scams that fill the coffers of criminals.

Here are a few of the most common work-at-home scams.

* Advance-fee: Starting a home-based business is easy! Just invest a few hundred dollars in inventory, set-up, and training materials, they say. Of course, if and when the materials do come, they are totally worthless…and you’re stuck with the bill.
* Counterfeit check-facilitated "mystery shopper:" You’re sent a hefty check and asked to deposit it into your bank account, then withdraw funds to shop and check out the service of local stores and wire transfer companies. You keep a small amount of the money for your “work,” but then, as instructed, mail or wire the rest to your “employer.” Sound good? One problem: the initial check was phony, and by the time your bank notifies you, your money is long gone and you’re on the hook for the counterfeit check.
* Pyramid schemes: You’re hired as a “distributor” and shell out big bucks for promotional materials and product inventories with little value (like get-rich quick pamphlets). You’re promised money for recruiting more distributors, so you talk friends and family into participating. The scheme grows exponentially but then falls apart—the only ones who make a profit are the criminals who started it.
* Unknowing involvement in criminal activity: Criminals—often located overseas—sometimes use unwitting victims to advance their operations, steal and launder money, and maintain anonymity. For example, they may “hire" you as a U.S.-based agent to receive and re-ship checks, merchandise, and solicitations to other potential victims…without you realizing it’s all a ruse that leaves no trail back to the crooks.

Add identity theft to the mix. As if these schemes aren’t bad enough, many also lead to identity theft. During the application process, you’re often asked to provide personal information that can be used to steal from your bank account or establish new credit cards in your name.

On the job. A host of law enforcement and regulatory agencies, including the FBI, investigate these schemes and track down those responsible. But the most effective weapon against these fraudsters is you not falling for the scams in the first place.

A few tips:

* Contact the Better Business Bureau to determine the legitimacy of the company.
* Be suspicious when money is required up front for instructions or products.
* Don’t provide personal information when first interacting with your prospective employer.
* Do your own research into legitimate work-at-home opportunities, using the “Work-at-Home Sourcebook” and other resources that may be available at your local library.
* Ask lots of questions of potential employers—legitimate companies will have answers for you!

And if you think you’ve been the victim of a work-at-home scam, file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission’s Consumer Sentinel or our Internet Crime Complaint Center.

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WANTED BY THE FBI: Talented Professionals to Serve the Nation

Attention job seekers: the FBI is looking for a few good men and women to fill a variety of mission-critical roles within our organization.

Well actually, we’re looking for a few thousand—just over 2,100 professional staff employees and 850 special agents, to be precise—in one of the largest hiring blitzes in our 100-year history.

The reason behind our mega hiring initiative? According to Assistant Director John Raucci of our Human Resources Division, it’s to bring more people on board with skills in critical areas, especially language fluency and computer science. “But,” explains Raucci, “we’re also looking for professionals in a wide variety of fields who have a deep desire to help protect our nation from terrorists, spies, and others who wish us harm.”

All 2,100-plus jobs are now posted on our redesigned FBI Jobs website. The positions are located throughout the nation—in virtually every FBI field office and at our Headquarters in Washington, D.C. You must be a U.S. citizen to apply.

Who we are looking for. According to Raucci, besides those skilled in computers and foreign languages we also need experts in:

* Finance and accounting;
* Security;
* Intelligence analysis;
* Compliance and quality assurance;
* Training and education;
* Records management;
* Fingerprint examination;
* Information technology;
* Nursing and counseling;
* Physical surveillance;
* Electrical engineering;
* Physical/natural/social sciences;
* Administrative/clerical processes;
* Automotive mechanics; and
* Management/program analysis.

The process. On the FBI Jobs website, take a look at available positions. If you see a job you think you’re qualified for, read our “How to Apply” page and then fill out the online application.

FBI employees in front of computers
Applications will be vetted, and best qualified candidates will be contacted for interviews. We will arrange regional “mega career invitationals” to speed up that process—all selected candidates will gather at designated locations to be interviewed. Those who are ultimately offered a conditional job will be scheduled for their polygraphs, drug screenings, and employment briefings. Candidates who make it past that stage are then ready for the final step—their background investigations.

Our pre-employment background investigations are, by necessity, very thorough and take some time, but we hope to have everyone hired and onboard by September 30, 2009. A hiring initiative of this magnitude requires a massive in-house response to quickly process the deluge of applications we expect to receive, so we’re reallocating personnel who will be dedicated exclusively to this initiative.

If you aren’t offered the specific job you have applied for but still meet the hiring criteria, your application will be kept on hand for possible consideration at a later time.

Interested in becoming a special agent? We also continue to recruit and process agent candidates. Since October 1, we have hired nearly 180 agents and plan to hire a total of 850 by the end of the fiscal year.

Like our professional staff applicants, we’re looking for agent candidates with foreign language fluency (especially in Middle Eastern and Asian dialects) and computer science backgrounds, and also those with skills in certified public accounting or tactics training. And we also need agent candidates with expertise in intelligence, law enforcement/military, engineering, law, and science. Read our Become a Special Agent webpage for more information.

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