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It’s hard to find a job nowadays without going online. Many companies have turned to the web as the sole location to post jobs outside of the company’s internal postings. When applying for a job online everything from your address, previous work experience, education, and even more personal information is now found as you process your resume for potential employers. There are even websites out there where you can post your resume and personal information without actually applying to a specific company or job. These advances make for an easier job searching experience, but what many job seekers don’t realize is how this may make them susceptible to online identity thieves. What is Online Identity Theft Identity theft is when either someone, or a group, uses your personal information to gain something. Typically this gain would be financial, as in applying for credit cards, stealing current credit card information, or stealing money directly from your bank. With a digital world it may be easier for identity thieves to attack and disappear. Email Identity Theft Online identity theft comes in many ways such as phishing, Nigerian scams, and lottery scams. Whenever you put your email on other websites you may be vulnerable to any of these scams. Many people have seen them, and many joke about receiving them. So, if everyone knows they exist, then why do they still exist? The way email scams work is the thieves can send millions of emails out at one time, and even a minuscule percentage of trusting people can bring in a lot of money. For the job seeker, email scams are prevalent. This might occur because you post your personal information online, and are looking for emails from potential employers. The problem with this is you do not know what those emails will look like, or even who will be sending them. This willingness to receive information opens you up to thieves. How Job Seekers can Protect Themselves With so many scams online it can be difficult to assess what is a scam and what is not, especially with your inbox flooded with job information. The two easiest ways on how to protect yourself from identity theft online are to recognize fake emails, and keeping your passwords safe. Recognizing fake emails isn’t always as easy as identifying a fake Nigerian king willing to give you millions of dollars. For a job seeker, you want to look at bogus emails about jobs that seem too good to be true. Does pay seem high for the position? Or, are they offering salary in cash? Also, is the email missing information such as the company name, contact person, or a physical address? Any of these things are to be considered red flags. When you receive an email you are not sure about, follow up on it. Use a search engine such as Google or Yahoo to see if anyone else is receiving these emails, or if you are even able to find the company soliciting you. It is not only important to have a strong password, but you also need to be able to protect it. Never write down and post your password. Try to use something you can memorize from the beginning. Use letters, numbers, and symbols. The easier it is for you to identify, and not others, the better off you are. Reporting This may sound a bit overboard to the average person, but one of the most important things you can do to stop online identity theft is to report scam emails. If you see an email that looks suspicious, don’t respond. If you already have, then you should stop. Next, report it to the FBI. There is a division set up specifically for things such as this, called the Internet Crime Complaint Center. Go to their website and simply follow the instructions. Protecting yourself from online identity theft scams is important for everyone, but for job seekers you are often putting all your information online and waiting for those thieves to attack. With a little diligence you can protect yourself and do your part to help protect others. Amy Johnson is an active blogger who is fond of writing articles on identity theft and helping people to protect against identity theft. Follow her on Twitter to know more on how job seekers can avoid email scams.
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