Times are tough for the 99ers. The jobs promised by both the current administration and the new elected 112th Congress have yet to appear. For the 1.5 million reported 99ers in the U.S., each day is a constant struggle with decisions of where to beg, borrow or sell, while at the same time keeping a pulse on the job market and trying to be the first to apply for the few employment opportunities that do make it to the job boards.
A new trend has many 99ers feeling even more discouraged than ever as the miracle of finally getting that elusive job offer turns out to be nothing more than scammers and con artists taking advantage of desperate Americans sorely in need of work.
Speaking from personal experience, job seeks need to be more vigilant than ever when applying for jobs. Especially those blind postings that do not indentify a company or person and seek to fill a position for a "Personal Assistant." As of this post, I have received a total of two job offers that turned out to be nothing more than con artists trying to get me to cash checks and wire poor orphans money, while keeping a small portion for myself.
It all started with a string of email and what I thought was my dream job and eventually led to a check for over $4,000 arriving via UPS. Even though everyone told me I was being scammed and all the facts pointed to being scammed, the desperation of my situation would not allow me to accept it.
Eventually, the sense of relief that I had finally found a job and had cash in hand was destroyed. As I ran out of the bank where I had just ripped the check from the hands of a an astonished branch president who had just informed me I had was a worthless piece of paper acceptance finally sunk in.
It was a tearful walk home that day, but I learned a valuable lesson. I'm lucky, many people cashed their checks while I still have mine. I offer four pieces of advise to avoid this pit fall and protect your personal information:
1. Have and USE a barebones resume w/out dates for all blind job postings.
2. Any postings for a "Personal Assistant" from an American outside of the US should be treated with extreme caution
3. If you get sent a check before any actual work begins for you and a some poor orphans, you can bet it's a scam.
A more in depth piece with copies of the check and emails I have received will my blog later this evening or tomorrow.