Online Job Applications and Identity Theft

With the slouch in the economy, people are desperate to find work. Online advertising sites such as Monster and Craig's List are an economical way to search for employment, but before giving a potential employer your personal information, there are some security checks you can make to be sure they are who they say.

The crime of identity theft is an easy take from stressed-out people seeking employment: The identity thief posts an ad on an online job board. If the ad requests a resume, that's the key to unlock the door to a full page report on a person's identity. Driver's license information is especially dangerous, as it gives a physical description, hair color, height, weight, etc. Even with this limited amount of information, anyone can run a credit or background check from online services. This is the icing on the cake to open a full page identity on the victim.

Red flags to watch for in the ads are misspelled words, poor usage of grammar, inconsistent addresses that don't match the area code for the phone or fax, and personal emails that don't include the company's name. As a follow-up, the job applicant should verify the company address and then look it up in a directory for a match.

Deeper into the scam, the false employer offers the applicant full disclosure to a corporate website, often under the pretext of training or company orientation. The site will require a password, and the thieves are counting on that same password being used for the victim's other secure sites such as banking and shopping with registered credit cards.

Only minimal information should be given out online, and never any persoanal data that includes a number. You may safely highlight your background in employment, but it should be a skeletal outline of your experience, just enough to make clear your qualifications. If the online potential employer wishes to pursue your employment, this should be done at the company address or through a verifiable satellite office. And there is never a need to take a social security number upfront. This should be done only after a candidate has been hired, and should be handled by someone other than the hiring manager. Beyond identity theft, the social security number and a driver's license contains access to a person's age, and legally must not be taken by the hiring agent, as it may constitute age discrimination, a crime on the Federal level.

According to the Federal Trade Commission, consumer protection begins with education. The more you know your legal rights, the easier it will be to spot a scammer or ignorant company worker that misshandles your private information. If you believe you have fallen victim to an identity thief through an employment application, the FTC has set up a toll-free hotline at 877- IDTHEFT, or 877-438-4338. Your complaint will be handed over to law enforcement in conjuction with the FBI, and they will counsel you on your next step to protect your identity.

www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/microsites/idtheft/
www.fbi.gov/whitecollarcrime.htm
www.419legal.org/blog/2009/03/03/online-job-scam-wild-example-of-identity-theft