Job seekers need to be aware that phony job postings occasionally occur on job search websites.  Criminals may represent themselves as employees of reputable company to mask their true identity and use the false listing to illegally collect personal information from unsuspecting job seekers.  The following tips will help you stay safe when using on-line listings.

1.      Never give out your Social Security number to a prospective employer, even if the employer says it's for a routine background check.

2.      Never give out your bank or credit card numbers.

3.      Never disclose personal information that is not related to work such as your mother’s maiden name.

4.      Be particularly careful of prospective employers from outside the country.

5.      If you are posting your resume online, include only the most relevant personal details and keep details of your work history to a minimum.

6.      Look for red flags such as misspellings or bad grammar.

7.      Call the company supposedly offering the job. Ask for the human resources department and confirm that the job is actually listed.

8.      Look at the return email address of the person posting the job. If it's a personal address like daniel23@hotmail.com, consider that a red flag. Why is the person not using a corporate email address?

9.      Check to see that the address, phone and fax number listed are all working.

10.  Listen to the person's voice mail to determine whether it seems legitimate.

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