With pandemic unemployment soaring, ‘work from home’ scams are on the rise

The Better Business Bureau’s scam tracker shows work at home scams have become its No. 1 complaint, often involving reshipping packages.

News 12 Staff

Sep 25, 2020, 7:26 PM

Updated 1,470 days ago

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"Work from home" scams have been on the rise during the pandemic.    
Cherri Caron was targeted in one of these scams. She tells News 12 that her would-be employer sent a check for $3,400 - supposedly to buy a printer and work computer. But Caron became suspicious when she was asked for a copy of the deposit slip, which could give them access to her account.
Caron did research when she became suspicious and spotted the potential scam.
"There's bound to be a lot of other people that just don't do the due diligence that I did,” says Caron. “Somebody really, really desperate for money could quite possibly deposit those checks. And they're going to be very sorry."
The Better Business Bureau’s scam tracker shows work at home scams have become its No. 1 complaint, often involving reshipping packages.
"You start working, you start receiving these packages, which could contain stolen merchandise,” says Melissa Companick, of the Better Business Bureau. "So you're not only sharing your personal information, you’re potentially involved in a crime, and you're just never going to see the salary that they promised you.”
Experts say to follow a few basic rules to be able to spot these types of scam:
First, research the company. It’s a good idea to search the company name along with words like “scam.”
Beware of generic email addresses - hiring managers should use company email.  
Be realistic: If the salary seems too high for the job, there’s a good chance the job isn’t real.
Beware of high-risk jobs. Experts say jobs that involve wiring money, reshipping packages or mystery shopping are more likely to be scams.