Online Job Theft

It’s hard to look for a job these days and not turn to the Internet.

You can post your resume online and make it available to thousands of possible employers.

But other people could also be looking at your resume and these people aren’t offering a paycheck.

When you’re looking for work, it’s hard to stand out from the crowd.

“Well with the economy being down right now it’s pretty hard,“ said job seeker Matt Sawyer.

That’s why matt sawyer is passing around his resume.

But he’s not doing it in person.

Like most job seekers these days matt is posting his resume on the Internet.

“It’s probably the most important part of my life right now. Stepping stone to my future,“ said Sawyer.

But that future could be in jeopardy if matt’s resume falls into the wrong hands.

“You’ve got to be really careful how you post your resume,“ said Pam Dixon of the World Privacy Forum.

Dixon says posting your resume online is often critical to finding a job.

But she says you need to control who gets your personal information.

“In fact any competent job site will give you the option of hiding your personal information,“ said Dixon.

Information like your full name, your home address, and phone number can be the building blocks for a scam artist to steal your identity.

You also have to look out for bogus employers who’ve seen your resume. They might ask you to fax your driver’s license or your credit card information so they can do a background check.

“Asking for a scan of your drivers license, this is a big no-no and should raise a red flag for everyone. Second is asking for bank account information,“ said Dixon.

“I think when people first get that call and they’re real excited about it they might just jump into it and go ahead and do it,“ said Sawyer.

So when you are contacted by a potential employer do your homework and be cautious what sort of information you’re handing over.

You don’t want your next job to be trying to clean up after an identity theft.