Job scams: ads that don't add up - Fraud - Brief Article

USA Today (Society for the Advancement of Education), Dec, 2001

The ad in the help wanted section of his local newspaper looked like the opportunity of a lifetime: high-paying wildlife jobs with the Federal government. The Delaware man called the toll-free telephone number listed to get more information about Federal jobs being filled in his area. Instead, he got a high-pressure sales pitch that convinced him to shell out almost $80 for job-related information. He thought he was buying a list of available jobs in his area, as well as practice tests to help him pass the Civil Service exam. He was persuaded to buy similar materials for jobs with the U.S. Postal Service.

What the man wasn't told was that no Civil Service exam is required for most government wildlife jobs; the company was selling a list of job descriptions, not of actual local job openings; very few wildlife jobs--and none at the advertised salary--hire at the entry level; although a test is required for most entry-level postal jobs, the tests are given infrequently; and all the information the company sold is available free of charge. When the caller realized that he'd been duped, he tried repeatedly to get his money back--without success. His story is hardly an isolated incident. Federal and postal job scams are among the biggest rackets on the employment front, preying on consumers who are unemployed or underemployed and who can least afford to be "taken."

The Federal Trade Commission is taking steps toward protecting consumers against these scams. It is tracking down and putting the brakes on companies that make deceptive claims about the availability of Federal and postal jobs, the procedures required to apply for them, and the materials sold to help people identify and land those positions.

Gregory Ashe, an attorney at the FTC, points out that, by placing ads in the help wanted section of local newspapers, the companies deceptively imply that the jobs are available and hiring locally. The deception can continue in the sales pitch consumers get when they call a company's toll-free telephone number for more information. In addition, the companies often deceptively imply that applicants who purchase such materials improve their chances of being hired.

The FTC, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, and the U.S. Postal Service caution consumers to be on the lookout for these "tip-offs to Federal and postal job rip-offs": classified ads or verbal sales pitches that imply an affiliation with the Federal government, guarantee high test scores or jobs, or state that no experience is necessary; ads that offer information about "hidden" or unadvertised Federal jobs; ads that refer to a toll-free phone number--often, in these cases, an operator encourages the caller to buy a "valuable" booklet containing job listings, practice test questions, and tips for entrance exams; and toll-free numbers that direct consumers to other pay-per-call numbers for more information. Under Federal law, any solicitations for pay-per-call numbers must contain full disclosures about the cost. The solicitations must make it clear if there is an affiliation with the Federal government. The caller must be given the chance to hang up before incurring any charges.