Tag Archives: Person to person payment scams

Fake Jobs, Phony Recruiters: Job Scams are on the Rise

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Finding a new job can be a big undertaking. It’s hard to search through countless job descriptions and submit dozens of applications, so when a promising offer comes along – it’s easy to be excited.

But be careful. Fake postings and phony recruiters make up a growing number of scams, known as job or employment scams.

It can happen through email, social media, and on popular job sites. These scammers are generally after two things: your money and/or personal information. You can protect yourself by knowing what to look for.

View this short video to learn more about job scams.

Spotting a Job Scam

Fake jobs that appear too good to be true. In some cases, a scammer may post an opening appearing to be from a real company, promising a tempting salary and great benefits for little experience. Do an online search of the company, the hiring manager, or the recruiter to determine the legitimacy of the job.

Requests for money. If your potential employer asks you to send them money upfront for things like training or equipment, immediately withdraw your application. A legitimate employer will never ask you to pay for a job.

Recruiters asking for compensation. If you are approached by a recruiter asking for compensation in exchange for helping you find a job, there’s a strong chance the alleged recruiter is really a scammer.

Requests for personal information. Job applications tend to require information like your name, contact information, and work experience – but it shouldn’t go much deeper than that. Companies that require a background check will typically wait until much later in the interview process before asking for personal information like a Social Security Number. Similarly, never provide your banking information for setting up direct deposit until after you are hired. A legitimate company will not ask for those details on a job application.

Urgency to hire immediately. Beware of potential employers who show a sense of urgency to hire you immediately or within the same week of the application. They may want you to “seal the deal” by sending money or personal information. This urgency is to get you to act on emotion before you realize the company or job is fake. If the interview process does not include an in-person or on-camera interview, that should also be considered suspicious.

Key Takeaway

To protect yourself from a job scam – research the company and role, and reject any offer that asks for money or sensitive information upfront or promises great pay for little or no professional experience. When it comes to job scams, remember to slow down and ask questions.

At First Financial, our goal is to help protect our members from scams and identity theft. If you have any concerns or questions about any of your First Financial accounts, please call member services at 732.312.1500 or visit one of our branches.

To learn more about scams and ways to protect yourself, visit zellepay.com/pay-it-safe.

 

Zelle and the Zelle related marks are wholly owned by Early Warning Services, LLC and are used herein under license.

 

 

 

Beware of the Seemingly Perfect Rental: It Could Be a Scam

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You finally found a rental property to call home. It’s the perfect location, the pictures look amazing, and the price is much lower than you were expecting to pay. All you need to do is send the landlord a deposit and the first month’s rent to seal the deal.

STOP! Before you do that, make sure you’re not sending money for a property that doesn’t exist. Rental scams are yet another opportunity for scammers to steal money. These scams target both new and existing renters, so it’s important to know what to look for.

View this short video to learn more about rental scams.

Tips for Spotting a Rental Scam

Pictures look too good. If a picture shows a beautifully renovated rental at a price that’s well below market rate, be cautious. Glamour photos can easily be found online. Reverse search an image by right clicking.

The listing has errors. Scammers are smart, but often don’t have very good grammar. Listings that have grammatical mistakes and other formatting errors could be signs of a scam.

Pressure to sign and pay right away. A legitimate landlord or rental agent will typically show you a space before renting it. If an agent is pressing you to sign a contract or pay a deposit without seeing the property first, this is a red flag. Especially if they insist you pay with a digital payment platform like Zelle® or Venmo.

There’s no credit check. Landlords and rental companies typically will conduct a credit check to determine if a renter is creditworthy. While some places don’t require a credit check, be careful. Ensure the agent is not taking advantage of your need for housing by offering a fictitious home with lenient eligibility requirements.

Ways to Avoid Rental Scams

 Always ask to tour the property. Don’t rent a place without seeing it. Schedule a time to tour the property to make sure it exists and looks like the advertisement.

Skip listings that look suspicious. Scroll past spam listings, and be skeptical of listings that are priced well below market value or contain grammatical and spelling errors.

Don’t send money in advance. You should never be charged a fee to tour a property, so turn away from any request for an upfront payment. Avoid sending any seemingly legitimate payment like a security deposit or first month’s rent without seeing the space and meeting the landlord or property manager. If the landlord comes up with a convincing story as to why they can’t meet – it’s best to wait until you can schedule a meeting, or search for another rental altogether.

Slow down and ask questions. Don’t allow yourself to be bullied or pressured. If you do, you could be playing right into the hands of a scammer. Take your time, see the property for yourself, and ask all the necessary questions to make sure this is the right space for you.

At First Financial, our goal is to help protect our members from scams and identity theft. If you have any concerns or questions about any of your First Financial accounts, please call member services at 732.312.1500 or visit one of our branches.

To learn more about scams and ways to protect yourself, visit zellepay.com/pay-it-safe.

Zelle and the Zelle related marks are wholly owned by Early Warning Services, LLC and are used herein under license.

 

 

 

How to Send Money with Zelle Safely

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Zelle® is a fast, safe and easy way to send and receive money with people you trust, like your babysitter, your fellow PTA mom, your son’s soccer coach, or your co-worker. Whether you just enrolled with Zelle® or have been an active user for a while, there are a few tips you should always keep in mind to ensure you are being safe when sending money.

Only send money to people you know and trust.

Money moves fast with Zelle®, directly from your checking account to the recipient’s checking account – within minutes.* So, it’s important you know and trust the people you’re sending money to.

Why? Because you can’t cancel a payment once it’s been sent, if the recipient is already enrolled with Zelle®. And if you send money to someone you don’t know for a product or service you might not receive (like paying for something in advance), you may not get your money back. Keep in mind that sending money with Zelle® is similar to handing someone cash.

Beware of payment scams.

One example of a payment scam is buying event tickets at a price that seems too good to be true – from a stranger, and never receiving them. If the seller asks you to use Zelle® to purchase the tickets, you should refuse unless the seller is a person you personally know.

Also, keep in mind that no one from First Financial will ever ask you to send them money with Zelle® as a test, or to send money to avoid a fraud event.

Neither First Financial nor Zelle® offers a protection program for authorized payments made with Zelle®. So, if you aren’t sure you will get what you paid for, you should instead use another payment method with purchase protection, such as a credit card.

Treat Zelle® like cash.

Did your friend change phone numbers recently? It’s easy for people to change their phone number or email address. When in doubt, contact your friend to verify the email or U.S. mobile number they used to enroll with Zelle® before you hit “Send.” Another good check point for ensuring you’re paying the right person, is to confirm the first name that is displayed for Zelle® enrolled emails and U.S. mobile numbers.

If a person has already enrolled a U.S. mobile number or email address with Zelle®, you can’t cancel the transaction – so it’s important you get it right the first time.

If you’d like more information on safely using person-to-person (P2P) payments, check out these articles from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).

Helpful Tips for Using Mobile Payments Services and Avoiding Risky Mistakes

Tips on Using Peer-to-Peer Payment Systems and Apps

How to Keep Your Personal Information Secure Online

Some final reminders:

  • Always use caution when sending or receiving money from someone you don’t know. Scammers can trick people into sending money through a person-to-person payment app without upholding their end of the deal. And once the money leaves your account and is transferred to the scammer, there is little you can do to get it back.
  • Double check before pressing send. Be sure you are sending your payment to the correct person by double checking their user name, phone number, or email address before you hit the send payment button.
  • Setup your P2P payment app to require a password before making a payment. Setting up a password, PIN, or fingerprint before making a payment with a person-to-person payment app is a great way to ensure authentication first. This also prevents a fraudster from gaining easy access to your mobile phone payment methods and making payments from your account.
  • Contact your financial institution right away if you suspect any errors. If you notice any fraudulent transactions within your P2P payment app, contact your bank or credit union right away to report it.

*U.S. checking or savings account required to use Zelle®. Transactions between enrolled users typically occur in minutes.

Zelle and the Zelle related marks are wholly owned by Early Warning Services, LLC and are used herein under license.