Whether you’re trying to sell a sofa, make a purchase or find a new job, the internet is full of bad guys looking to fool you into giving them your information.
Even though I work on the internet every day at Snagajob, I almost fell for a scam while responding to a post for a free toilet on Craigslist. (Hey- toilets are expensive! Anyone who’s read my guide to thrift shopping secrets knows I’ll gladly use an entire bottle of Lysol to save $200.) I was just moments away from clicking on a safe-looking link and ruining my whole day. What saved my computer from surefire virusy doom? Years of internet experience have taught me one behavior:
Research unfamiliar links before you click on them.
No matter how good something looks, you’ve always got the time to check out a link before you click on it. No deal is so sweet (or job opportunity so awesome) that you should risk clicking a link provided by someone you don’t know.
Here’s the email I got – looks innocent enough, right?
The red flags:
- The name in the email doesn’t match the signed name
- The email doesn’t specifically mention the item in the ad
- The email came days after my initial response
What made it look legit?
- Well-written with no spelling or grammar errors
- The URL that was displayed matched the one it was actually sending me to (you can check this by hovering over the link with your mouse)
- The URL leads to a .org – typically non-profit sites
How to decide a link is safe:
- Copy the address and paste it into a search engine. Look for multiple reviews from independent sources that say it’s safe (or not)
- Copy the text from the email and paste it into a search engine. Most phishing emails are multiples sent out to many people, so if it’s a known scam you can find out about it from other people who’ve reported it first
Using Google I found credible sources reported this specific URL for phishing and distributing viruses; in some cases they even quoted the same email I received. Spending two minutes on research saved me a lot of time and stress, and while I may not have scored a free toilet, I do have a virus-free computer.
About Amy White
Great advice. I always have to be leery, especially of job wanted ads that seem to be ploys to harvest people’s e-mail addresses as well as all their personal information from their resumes. I get a lot more spam since I’ve been job searching. And as far as your FB status update, there are 3 plumbing references: flushed, drain, and waste.
Excellent advice, and you’ve won the prize! Thanks for putting up with my awful puns, and sharing your great tip
Look for an email from me with your prize info!
I got taken really badly last month while browsing Craigslist job postings. I didn’t even apply for one of the jobs–saw that it had to be a scam, but somehow, after going in to look at it, they got more than enough info to sucker me in. I received a check in the mail that said it was from a class action lawsuit, and foolishly put it in my bank. Well, of course it didn’t clear, but what happened was that it was counterfeit! This got me in a lot of trouble, for trying to pass a counterfeit check! My name is now on a red flagged list and I am not able to open another bank account — anywhere. I am just sick whenever I think about it, and have been beating myself up for falling for such a stupid scam. Seems they are really preying on people who are looking for work now. Beware!
That’s a terrible story Eleanor – I’m so sorry! Thank you for sharing your experience, hopefully it will help other people avoid the frustration you’ve had to deal with.
A few years back I had been applying for jobs via internet and face to face .I received a phone call for a mystery shopper and thought was legit. I recieved instructions and followed them. The first check was legit but the other two wasn`t which messed up my bank account and my daughters name because she was on my account. I went to the attorney general but was told t hat nothing couldn’t done
I’m sorry to hear that Joanne – were there any red flags that could have helped you recognize the scam post?
This is slightly comical considering I’ve been greeting bombarded with phone calls from Snagajob’s “complimentary” continuing education group (or whatever it’s called).
What a complete joke.
Hi Jason, if you’ve accidentally opted-in with our edu partners, you can ask them to take you off of the call list and that should take care of it (it worked when I registered and got called on my cell). If that doesn’t do the trick please let me know!
No employer who is not a scammer should ask the applicant for money, especially before delivering a job. People who scam the unemployed are the worst kind of frauds!
Great tip, and I agree Donald!
Wow very good advice I know i’ve had experience with many fake senders in my emails and web-sites that look legit but aren’t.
Thanks Victoria – glad it was helpful!