Some jobs scams don't want your money, they also want to steal your identity. They start off with an interview on Hangout and then after alot of interview questions, they reach out and say have been hired. Then comes all the personal questions - that's when I said No Way! Any Hangout invitation s avoid like a plague. It's sad people will stoop that low and try to take advantage of you during difficult times. Stay positive. I plan too!!

Excellent above description of the characteristics of a scam. Some caution about some other things that are important:

1. Social Security Number - NEVER, I repeat, NEVER, give it out to anyone online. Your identity with the personal information you have provided will be STOLEN!

2. Do not provide your bank's ABA Routing Number and your account number! Unless you have a zero balance, and quite frankly not until you cashed your first PAYCHECK! But remember, they now have your banking information and you will need to close that account and open a new one.

3. If they send you a check for supplies, or some other nonsense, and ask you to ATM deposit it, ask yourself why? Chances are if you took it to the counter it would be spotted as a 'bad check" or fraud. Anyone with a good printer can create a check that looks bona fide.

4. Once they send you the check, they will likely want you to purchase "office supplies" or "materials" immediately.
   a. Remember, banks take your check and allow you access to a portion of the amount of the deposit and hold the rest until it clears through the ACH.
   b. If you spend the money you are not spending their money, you are spending your own! Yes, your own money! and if you have a credit line on the account to cover overdrafts, you are drawing on that and will be responsible for repayment.
   c. And the bank will charge YOU for handling the bad check!

Be careful out there folks. These people are heinous swines without any conscious about ripping off people, desperate or not. They just don't care.

Remember #3 of above from Veronica. She is right on the money! Stay on top of yours.

Anyone that asks for money is usually a scammer as well. Also, I recommend looking the company up on the Better Business Bureau. If they are listed the BBB will also have any information from clients about scams and such or if the company is actually reputable. If the business is not listed that should be a red flag for being real or not.

and they send you a check and want you to draw on existing funds to buy office equipment from the "approved" vendor BEFORE the check has cleared!

I applied for a car wrap .within a week I got a email telling me I would get a check for almost 3,000 and I needed to deposit it in my bank and withdrawal in the next day keep 350 I would get each week *** get 2 money orders one at CVS and wallmart and send then to a guys name .showed Navy Fed the fake check and out of curiosity I put it in Wells Fargo machine it did take it I cancel the transaction and got it back none of it makes sense why would they send me 3,000 to only keep 350 which a week is too much anyway they only pay a month 350 and it says Cricket company at the top of the check I told them off they say it's a hundred percent legit said it will clear even when i email them that it's a scam and told them off every week or so that's why I haven't deposited it they say the exact same thing over and over

I've also been asked to send the last 4 of my social and other stats no company would ever need for initial interest.

I had a strange thing happen to me about 20 years ago when I was looking for work. I had a yahoo email address at the time, which I no longer use. I applied to a position that stated the job was located in Rochester, NY, which was a few miles away from where I lived. The response I received was from some guy supposedly with that company, who told me the position was actually located in the UK, and I was to immediately relocate to the UK and begin the job as soon as I arrived. When I replied back that the position was in the States, he responded with "you WILL move to the UK, and you WILL start the job once you arrive." When I responded that I was no longer interested, he threatened to sue me and to have me forcibly brought to the UK. I showed the emails to my mom (we didn't know about reporting these emails to the FTC or BBB), she told me to put them in my "spam" folder. Every day for two weeks he kept sending me emails threatening legal action against me if I didn't immediately move to the UK and start the position. I think it was for some type of clerical work... Anyway, he finally gave up after I kept putting them as spam. Please be very careful... I'm not sure if there are any other scammers like that, but something like that could happen. Thank you for your advice about the Google Hangouts (never heard of it) or someone trying to get me to deposit a check into a bank account. I have heard of that scam, only relating to some sort of "sweepstakes win" from some contest you didn't enter. I didn't realize their tactics had changed to include unsuspecting job seekers.

It funny this topic has come up because I had a Skype interview with one of these scammers yesterday. I received an email (from a Yahoo account) from someone named Joan Rivera, here's a snippet of the message: Dear Applicant, Our company has reviewed your resume published on ziprecruiter and we are confident you will be able to handle the available position namely"Administrative Assistant/Office clerk" position here at Simonsen & Weel. I am very pleased to invite you for interview for the above post. The job interview and briefing will take place as follows: Date: 1/26/2017 Time:9:00 a.m EST Venue:Online via Gmail Hangout Or Skype. You will have an interview with the Hiring Manager,Rochelle Parker. You're required to contact Mrs.Parker via hangout by sending her invite on Google Hangout/Skype...Her ID is(rochellparker4@gmail.com). You can as well send her an invite via her gmail account on Skype .The interview will last about 30 minutes. Please email two professional references(Name and phone contact)to the Hr Manager.

If the date or time of the interview is inconvenient, please contact me by email (joan.rivera73@yahoo.com) in order to arrange another appointment.

Best regards, Joan Rivera Quality Assurance Director Simonsen & Weel

I did look up this company and it is a legit company in Copenhagen but there's no one in the company with the names of Joan Rivera or Rochelle Parker. So I got up early in the morning for this interview to see where it would lead to. Thank God for my Jobcase family because I'd just read a week or so ago about this very same scam. As the interview with Ms. Parker progressed, she said the magic words I was waiting on, "We'll send you a check for you to deposit" and I stopped paying attention after that and immediately told her that after careful consideration and speaking with my husband who happens to be an attorney with the state of IL, I'm declining her offer. So far I haven't heard back from her because she ended the call before I had the chance to. If anyone sends you an interview invite from a Gmail or Yahoo account, its a scam. I did not apply for this company, another red flag and lastly, who pays you upfront before any work has been done?

I just came across one scam and the guy even sent me a check to buy "supplies" for the job.. I let the 3,200.00 on the side and waited for his phone call and he called asking me if I deposit the check.. I confronted the guy he hang up.. I will be more careful while applying for a job..

ZipRecruiter sends plenty of them.