The Lionheart Assurance Solutions LP Scam Prevention Toolkit warns that unscrupulous individuals are using the current high rate of unemployment in the US to perpetuate identity theft scams. These conmen may hire out an office to conduct scam interviews. By pretending to be employers conducting a job interview, they are getting valuable personal information that they can use for identity theft.
The Lionheart Assurance Solutions LP Scam Prevention Toolkit recommends that you take the following steps to distinguish if an interview is a scam interview or not.
1. When you send out your resumes to job listings, keep an accurate record of your job hunt and do a follow up. Be wary of being called for an interview that you did not apply for.
2. When called in for an interview, do a search on the Internet to see if it is an established company. Most corporations have a website. You want to find out how long they have been in business and what type of goods they provide or services they offer. Also, check with the Better Business Bureau to find out if any complaints have been made about them.
3. If the business appears to be well established with a good reputation, then agree to the interview. Be sure the location is the same as that disclosed on the website or verified by the Better Business Bureau. Do not enter the building if there is anything suspicious about it. For example, a reputable company with a solid business would not be working out of a tiny office in a rundown building. Take only your cover letter, resume, and reference list.
4. Only give the interviewer what is necessary for the interview, like current contact phone number, address and past employment. Don’t disclose personal information like your social security number, driver’s license number, bank information, and so on. If the potential employer insists on getting personal information, you have the right to refuse. Don’t be intimidated into disclosing sensitive information for fear of losing out on a job opportunity.
5. If the job appears to be too good to be true, be suspicious. Seldom do employers offer a huge salary and numerous perks unless you have high qualifications. Also, be suspicious if the interview appears perfunctory and the interviewer appears eager to hire you although you have insufficient qualifications.
The Lionheart Assurance Solutions LP Scam Prevention Toolkit also recommends that if you suspect that you may have walked into a scam interview, talk about how you need to think things over before you make a decision. Don’t let a sense of desperation get in the way of falling for a scam.
Lionheart Assurance Solutions are business consultants with regional offices in the United States. They specialize in identity theft education.
