BBB Warns About Scam Artists Who Targeting Unemployed

The Better Business Bureau in Dayton is sending out a warning message about scam artists targeting the unemployed workers.

The BBB reported because of the current economic and financial situation, job seekers are not carefully researching opportunities and can become victims of a job related scam.

The BBB cited the latest jobs report from the U.S. Labor Department. It reported new unemployed claims in mid-August unexpectedly jumped to 500,000, a raise of 12,000 over the previous week. John North, BBB president and CEO in Dayton said: The employment rate means a lot of people are worried for work and may be greedy for any job, which creates a great opportunity for scammers.

"Not thoroughly researching a job opportunity can make a bad situation even worse and a victim can lose hundreds or even thousands of dollars to any number of job-related scams."

The BBB said there are some red flags that consumers must look for:

• If the company asks for money upfront
• Profit offered seem too good to be true.
• The employer is quick to ask for your personal information, like Social Security numbers or bank account numbers.
• The Employer e-mails are common with grammatical and spelling errors.
• The employer requires you to wire money through Western Union.