Central MN Holiday Job Hunt? Watch Out For These Common Scams

Have you seen some of the job offers lately? There are so many retail businesses and shipping companies looking for seasonal employees this time of year, so it can be a great time to put some extra money back to get ahead of the holiday spending.

Unfortunately, it's also a really great time for scammers to take advantage of those individuals looking to make an extra quick dollar.

AVOIDING THE SEASONAL JOBS THAT SOUND TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE

The Better Business Bureau is warning people to watch out for scammers, and is providing us with some solid advice when looking for those real job opportunities, while avoiding those that scam people out of the money they already have. Here's some advice to get you through the holidays without falling victim to a holiday job scammer.

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EMPLOYERS ASKING YOU FOR MONEY UPFRONT

No matter what kind of job you are looking for, an employer should never ask you to pay upfront for things like supplies for the job, filling out an application or paying for training. A true employer is going to cover those costs, so if anyone is asking you for money, then it's NOT a real job opportunity. Stay clear and keep your money. If you have to pay anything at all, this is NOT a real job opportunity, no matter how much you need or want it to be.

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NO INTERVIEW? PROBABLY NO GOOD

Don't we all want to get the job that doesn't require an interview? Of course we do. Interviews can be very uncomfortable, but in reality, if you fill out an application, and they hire you without an interview over the phone, internet or in person, then it's probably NOT the real deal.

BIG MONEY FOR SMALL JOBS

Sounds too good to be true, doesn't it? Who doesn't want to make $100 an hour or more? Let's be realistic. If a shipping company is offering you some ridiculous salary just to stuff envelopes, answer phones or reship packages, then it's probably an attempt to steal your personal information. Don't fall for it.

WORK BEFORE HIRE

You think you found a seasonal job that is going to pay you well for your time, but they just want to give you a trial run for a couple of weeks before they start paying you to see if you can do it. If you ask me, you should be completely offended. No one should ask you to work for free. Period.

You should get an official offer with a start date, and they should provide you with the details of the position and how much you will be paid, before you ever start working for a company. Simply stay away from this one.

TIPS ON HOW TO FIND LEGIT OFFERS

If you go to the BBB, they have a Scam Tracker, AND they can take you to legit businesses, so you can make sure the offer you are looking at is the real thing.