CareerNetwork, Inc. Secretary opening available - $25/hour? Orlando Florida

Those who need to heed this advice will never read it.

In regards to your comment about advertising - You are absolutely correct about not trusting adverstisements. The common assumption is IT MUST BE LEGITIMATE!

Even the Federal Trade Commission has this posted in their site about advertisements.

ADVERTISEMENTS from the Federal Trade Commission website:

The appearance of ads in media outlets that you recognize - like your local newspaper or radio station - is no guarantee of the legitimacy of the company behind the ad.

When selling ad space - NO ONE CHECKS FOR LEGITIMACY OF THE BUSINESS, if you are willing to pay for the ad space they are willing to sell it to you.

I too have notified some websites that have the Fraud Acai Berry SCAM Ads with the Oprah and Rachel Ray endorsements. Both stars have stated THEY DO NOT ENDORSE IT on their own websites. HOPE THOSE AD SELLERS GET SUED!

I received the same email as this person from Texas. I live in Pennsylvania and I thin k it's strange how we have a very similiar email with the same person: S. Levine. Unfortunately I already deleted my email so I can't post it. It was for a bookkeeping job for $20/hr. It also said I was qualified when I don't think I am qualified when they want me to file all their taxes and handle ALL accounting procedures because I am graduating soon with my accounting degree. No place would give that much responsibility to someone without experience. I also received another email with a few changes, like the $ and job title. Every word in that email matched the first one I got. It too said I was qualified, when it said the applicant should have 2 years experience. Both emails lacked any other information.

Be weary of craigslist jobs. I have had a few experiences with them also. The emails are generally the same when they reply to your inquiry and they all have names that are the first initial and last name. They also ask for a credit report to check your backround... Don't give it to them!!!

I've been watching the job situation for several months now, and have noticed that there is a definite increase in bogus job advertisements being submitted and accepted for posting or publishing on sites and in newspapers that are usually a bit more trustworthy places to find legitimate ads.

Craigslist is a haven for the worst abusers of those advertisements, not that it is the fault of the site. They provide a free environment in which ads can be placed in most markets, and have began charging in others because it has become so out of control.

So what are those ads all about if they are bogus? They are phishing schemes, placed to lure people into divulging all of their personal information in a two step process. A resume does not usually supply enough information to steal one's identity. But if they can lure you through a followup e-mail into filling out a complete application on a site set up to appear as a portal for applications only, then the damage is done by the time you realize it was a scam.

These ads may also be placed by those who would attempt to or will eventually carry out harm against other people. A resume gives them a profile. If they see someone who appeals to them, then they may attempt to continue the rouse to lure the victim to a private location to conduct and "interview." We all know what may happen then, if there is no job behind the ad.

I have a few pointers for those perusing online and printed advertisements, regardless of the source or site. I've seen bogus ads on every site and in many newspapers as well. Revenue seems to be more important to advertisers these days than any duty to protect consumers from criminals. I've tried repeatedly to have ads removed by submitting proof that the ads are scams to both papers and otherwise legitimate sites. They don't care. You have to protect yourself.

1.) First and foremost, if the ad sounds too good to be true, then the chance of it being a scam is about 99%. If the prevailing job market pays $8.00 to $10.00 for clerical work, and you see an ad offering $16.00 to $20.00 an hour, then it's likely a scam. Scamsters know that people will be tempted to apply for big money, and overlook anything else suspicious.

2.) If you want to find out for sure whether or not it is a scam, create an alternative e-mail address that you can delete at any time and part with easily. Create a totally bogus resume to have on hand at all times. There are no limits. Make is as juicy a lie from start to finish as you want. Just don't forget to include your "real" disposable e-mail address on it. Scamsters will never call telephone numbers. They operate on the net. They aren't interested in the detail on the resume at all. They profile people based on what they read on the resume. The more extravagant the better. If you receive an immediate response, which will likely come within 24 hours, urging you to visit a site to fill out a complete application, or if they want you to immediately privately interview for the position, then you know you are being scammed.

3.) Anonymous e-mail sites are great for guys and gals who are cheating on their loved ones. But there is nothing professional about them when it comes to seeking employment. G-mail, Yahoo, Hotmail accounts are havens for bogus employers. There may well be legitimate employers who use them to avoid discovery by candidates to the name and phone number of the employer, and because they want to pre-screen those that they want to eventually screen for the positions more openly, but then this is 2009, and thus;

a.) Employers who attempt to obscure themselves from qualified applicants are only shooting themselves in the foot. Most people, such as myself, will not send personal information into cyberspace and to unknown destinations.

b.) If the position offered sounds like it could be the least bit legitimate, I fire off an e-mail to the anonymous e-mail address and kindly explain that I am an interested and qualified candidate, but due to privacy and security issue concerns, I refrain from divulging personal information in an anonymous setting. I add that I will apply in the exact manner that the employer requests, but unless I receive an alternative and verifable e-mail so that I can verify a viable employer is behind the scenes, I am unable to supply them with the information they would need to consider me as a candidate.

Scam artists will not respond, and arrogant HR people will likely not respond either. If they are determined to hide behind an anonymous e-mail address, then more power to them. They apparently do not value people with the ability to think for themselves, despite the job description including that very requirement most of the time in their ads.

4.) Beware of ads that include any language that the compensation is strictly contract or commission based. There's a reason they list them that way. They are jobs that have had people go through them like water, may include you being required to work for them out of your own pocket, and the actual pay that can be expected will be little, if any. They are jobs to nowhere. Most of these ads are placed by employers with mile long lists of complaints that can be found on this site.

5.) This one is simple. Anyone that asks you for a "fee" of any description to be paid up-front in order to be considered for a job, all that is going to happen will be them scamming you out of your money...plain and simple.

5.) And last, but not least, don't be tempted by any advertisement for "work at home" positions, "secret shopping" positions, or any position claiming big bucks for piecemeal work. They are ALL scams, and to date not one has ever been proven to be legitimate. I don't care how many people have offered "testimonials" written anywhere on the net. They are all scams.

Always think about the first item on the list. If it sounds too good to be true at any point, then it's likely a complete scam.