What To Do If You Fall Prey To a Job Scam
By Barbara Perone
Even the most astute job seeking professional can get caught off guard and fall prey to an employment scam. That’s not hard to understand because these silver-tongued solicitors can be very convincing and are very good at what they do.
You may feel embarrassed or foolish about what happened, but, rest assured, the only thing left to do is to report what happened to as many authorities as possible. That way, you can try to stop these perpetrators from victimizing someone else or force them to close up shop for good.
Here are a few tips on what to do if you are the victim of a job scam.
- Start by calling your local police department. Ask them how to file a police report. Provide as many details as you can.
- Report the crime to the New Jersey Department of Labor (DOL) by calling 609.659.9045.
- Call the state attorney general’s office at 609.292.4925 or 609.984.5828.
- If you receive a phony check by mail, or want to report mail fraud, contact your local Post Master General. Then, contact a postal inspector in your area by going to www.upso.gov/postablinspectors.
- To determine whether the check is phony, call a check verification company, like, National Check Fraud Service 843.571.2143 or call SCAN 800.262.7771 or Telecheck 800.710.9898 or 800.927.0818 or Chex Systems 800.428.9623.
- Contact your local BBB by going to www.newjersey.bbb.org or sending an email to infor@trenton.bbb.org. The BBB for central New Jersey is located at 1700 Whitehorse-Hamilton Square Road, st D-5, Trenton, NJ08690-3596; the phone number is 609.588.0808
- File a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). To do that, visit www.ftc.gov/complaint.
- Watch the FTC identity theft video “How to File a Complaint” at www.ftc.gov/video or file a complaint by calling 877.382.4357.
- File a complaint with your local consumer protection office. To find an office near you visit www.usa.gov/directory/stateconsumer/index.shtml
- If you think you have been a victim of identity theft in this state, call the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs at 800.242.5846 or visit their website at www.nj.gov/lps/ca/credit.htm.
- If you have been a victim of identity theft, report the crime by going to www.Fraud.org or calling 877.438.4388 or 703.276.0100 or visit www.IDTheftSecurity.com
- If you suspect someone has stolen your driver’s license number call the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission at 866.847.7682.
- If you suspect someone has stolen your Social Security Number, contact the Social Security Administration by visiting www.ssa.gov/org or calling 800.269.0271.
- If you live in SomersetCounty and suspect someone has stolen your passport, contact the Somerset County Clerk’s office at 908.231.7006 or 908.231.713 or email countyclerk@co.somerset.nj.us
- Place a fraud alert on your credit reports. To do that, call Equifax at 888.766.0008, Experian at 888.397.3742, and Trans Union at 800.680.7289.
- Review your credit reports for errors. To order a free yearly copy of your credit report call Equifax at 800.685.1111 or visit www.equifax.com , call Experian at 888.397.3742 or visit www.experian.com, call TransUnion at 800.888.4213 or visit www.transunion.com.
- Finally, contact a lawyer.