Avoiding being Re-victimized

Sometimes scammers sell lists of people who have been scammed before. The second round of scammers offers to help you recover the money you’ve lost in the original scam. Instead, you’re re-victimized. Unfortunately, the kind of folks who are perpetuating these scams don’t care about people; the only care about money. So they’re going to take advantage in any way they can in terms of separating you from your money or, again, re-victimizing you if you’ve already been scammed once. 

If you have been scammed, report the crime. Contact your local police and the Federal Trade Commission (www.ftc.gov/complaint). If you have provided access to your financial information (for example, providing your bank account information to facilitate direct deposit of your “paycheck”), contact your financial institution and ask for help in eliminating the scammer’s access to your account (which may include closing the affected account and setting up an alert on the new account). Keep a written log noting the names and phone numbers of everyone you’ve spoken to, and keep copies of all reports you file.

Manage your online presence to minimize opportunities for identity theft. Use passwords that contain letters, numbers, and symbols — and do not use the same password for multiple sites. If a scammer asks you to set up a username and password for accessing a company website, and you use the same password for your financial accounts online, they can access them without your knowledge.

Request your free annual credit report from the three national service providers (Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax). Obtain yours through www.annualcreditreport.com. You can receive a free copy of your credit report every 12 months from each credit reporting company, which allows you to spot possible identity theft. Some jobseekers choose to pull a report from one bureau every four months, so you receive all three reports for free in a calendar year. Checking your credit report is important as some companies will request access to your credit report as a condition of employment, so identifying and correcting errors is critical.

If you have been victimized, you can place a fraud alert on your credit report, which lets potential credit grantors know that you’ve been a victim of identity fraud. (You can remove the alert at any time.) Once you notify one of the national service providers, they will notify the other two companies. If you place a fraud alert, you are entitled to a copy of all of the information in your credit report at each of the three major credit reporting companies. You can also place a security freeze on your credit report, which prevents new credit applications from being issued.

Consider signing up for an ongoing credit monitoring service, which will provide you with email alerts if identity theft or fraud is suspected on your accounts. Some credit monitoring services also include identity theft insurance, which will reimburse you for time and money spent recovering your identity. 

Being aware of the opportunities to be scammed in your job search will help you keep from being separated from your money.

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New Leaf Career Solutions is a career consulting boutique that redefines individuals and small businesses professional brands.  New Leaf partners with each client to provide quality résumés, cover letters, bios, brochures and much more.  Visit newleafcareersolutions.com to schedule an appointment.  Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest for tips.  Call today to turn over a New Leaf!!