NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — The Better Business Bureau is warning about a scam taking advantage of many during their greatest time of need.
A new study by the Better Business Bureau shows job scams increased during the pandemic with as much as 14 million victims in 2020, costing $2 billion in direct losses.
The scams are taking place locally, as well.
Scammers primarily target people ages 25 to 34, especially stay at home parents.
The scams offer work from home positions that require handing over personal information, like bank accounts.
"So 65% of these scam job offers that we've identified are predominantly reshipping jobs or positions," said Marketing and Communications Manager for the BBB of Middle Tennessee and Southern Kentucky, Caleb Nix. "So it's you stay home or you work from home and then you get packages and then you send those packages to someone else."
The study found 34% of victims provided their driver’s license number, and 25% provided their Social Security or Social Insurance number. The median financial loss reported by these victims was $1,000.
Experts say to do some investigating when interviewing for a job. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
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