As a recruiter, I come across many different people and many different stories.  Some are impressive, some-offensive, some-compelling and some really touch my heart.

Recently, I interviewed a very young man, let’s call him John Doe.  About 20-22 years old.  His story really touched my heart.  I interviewed him early in the morning; he came to the office before I did.  Sometimes, I get a little grouchy when my interviewees come in before I do; however, I was in a particularly good mood that morning.   I will omit the details of how I conduct my interviews and will simply tell you what exactly had an effect on me.

This boy, sorry a young man, had been looking for a job unsuccessfully for a while.   It is hard to find a job with a very limited experience especially in these difficult economic times.  But no worries, my client hired John Doe and he has a very legitimate job.

At one point during the interview I asked John what steps he has taken to find new employment.  For the first time in the interview, he stopped smiling and he said that he is at the point of giving up his job search.  So I felt compelled to ask him why he would say that.

John had been applying for jobs through various online job boards including craigslist, which became one of the most popular places for job classifieds.  Some of the jobs posted there are very much legitimate, but some are just scam.  He applied to one of the scams advertised.  John did not know it at that time, of course.  John read that “job posting”; the “job” itself seemed pretty easy.  He could work from home, be his own boss, set his own hours and perhaps go back to school.  The “job” was to cash checks or deposit them into his account, keep 10% and wire the rest of the amount to the “employer”.  Pretty simple, right?  So John applied to the job posting, he received a response; he DID provide the “employer” with all of his information including his SSN for, you know, for the IRS reporting.  Hmm…

John thought he scored with this great “job” which would give him a lot of freedom and pay his bills.  Gee! 10% of $5000.00 is $500.00!  That is a lot of money!  A few of those transactions and he is set.  John signed an “employment agreement”, two weeks later he received first envelope with two checks in it.  One check was with a name of a woman from somewhere in New York for $5000.00 and a second check was from someone else for almost $3000.00.  John was ready to go to the bank and deposit a check, but something stopped him.  Something did not make any sense to him.  Thankfully, the check from a woman in New York had her number on it and John had decided to call that number.  He spoke to that woman, who started crying on the phone.  As it turns out, it was not the first time someone used her checks to withdraw money from her account.  She was a victim of Identity Theft.  The woman was very thankful that John made a decision to call her.  After that conversation, John called the police and filed a report.  What happened after that- I do not know.

Just remember, if the job opportunity sounds too good to be true, it probably is.  If John had deposited that check, he would be an accessory to the crime.  He would be responsible for that money and possibly for money laundering.  Always keep in mind that the legitimate companies do not operate in the manner described.  Legitimate companies have their own accounts set up.

You read about these types of stories, but I have never met a person who got personally and unknowingly involved in such a scam.  So to me it was a little bit shocking.  I am very proud of John’s actions-he acted on his suspicions and reported the crime to the police.  One thing is bothersome is the fact that he had provided the fraudsters with his own information.  John has a lot of work to do!

If you are thinking about working from home, there are a lot of opportunities available, but I think you must create those opportunities yourself.  All postings for “work-at-home” schemes turn out to be scams.  Please be careful out there.

Share your story! Are you a victim of Identity Theft?  Do you know of someone who is?  Contact me here.