Are you receiving texts offering job offers? Experts say its likely a scam

Maine (WABI) - Scammers are getting creative when it comes to trying to take your hard-earned money and your personal information.

One scam that’s gaining traction promises consumers job opportunities which experts say are too good to be true.

Experts at the Better Businesses Bureau say they have received thousands of reports of these types of scams involving text messages from a fake recruiting agency spoofing a real company’s name. Their goal is to get your personal information or money, ultimately leading to identity theft.

“Immediate job offers without an interview, that’s a huge red flag,” said Paula Fleming, chief marketing and sales officer of the Better Business Bureau. “Unrealistic pay for work from home jobs, you have to take that into account and realize that’s a red flag. If you’re getting promises for easy money for simple online tasks, while it has been post COVID very common for people to work from home, there are red flags that you have to take into consideration.”

If you suspect the person contacting you could be a scammer, look them up. If they claim to be from a company, reach out to that company directly to verify that person is employed there.

Most importantly, you should never give out any personal or financial information like your Social Security Number over the phone.

“I understand that people are in need of a job and that there is urgency and emotional response based on that. These scammers take advantage of that, and I don’t want to see people out money and ultimately, their time because if you are a victim of identity theft, it can take days if not weeks to turn that around,” Fleming added.

Indeed says they never reach out to job seekers to offer employment through phone calls or text messages. If you get these types of messages, they say it’s a scam.

As for Amazon, the company says they do communicate to customers through text messages but only for order updates, security alerts, or one-time passwords.

They never include links.

Remember, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

If you have experienced an employment scam, you should report it to the Better Business Bureau Scam Tracker.

If you have a story you want the WABI team to look into, email WABI.TV5Investigates@graymedia.com.