BBB Tip: How to avoid employment scams when searching for summer jobs

The beginning of summer brings an influx of job-seeking students looking to capitalize on their free time by earning money over their three-month break. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, most of these students find employment in the accommodations and foodservice industry. However, due to the complications associated with COVID-19, employment opportunities in this industry fell by more than 2.2 million between 2019 and 2020. While the foodservice industry projects growth, it is still measurably less than pre-COVD-19 levels, causing would-be employees to look elsewhere for summertime employment.

In 2018-2019, employment scams were the No. 1 riskiest scam in North America, replaced by online purchase scams in 2020, according to BBB’s 2020 Scam Tracker Risk Report. The report also identified that students and individuals ages 25-34 were the most susceptible and likely to be victimized by employment scams. Surprisingly, 65% of reported employment scams related to becoming a “warehouse redistribution coordinator” or some similar title involving the reshipment of packages, some of which involve stolen goods. In many cases, scammers impersonated well-known retailers, like Amazon and Walmart, to appear legitimate.

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