Denver, CO – November 10, 2011 – According to the BBB in Denver, a new scam has hit Colorado that targets the unemployed by luring them in with a high-paying job offer, but appears to only be after their personal information.
A posting on Craigslist offers call center jobs in downtown Denver, DTC and Boulder, paying $18.50 an hour. The supposed employer describes itself as an “internet based gift giving service.”
The first step to apply for the job according to the website, www.getsomegifts.com, which was just created in October, is completing a free credit check. The website directs applicants to get their credit report at www.freecreditcheck.co.nr. This particular Web address originates in the Republic of Nauru, a small island located in the Western Pacific. Its link takes you to what appears to be a website for the California-based company, CreditReport.com. The BBB contacted CreditReport.com directly and confirmed with the business that www.freecreditcheck.co.nr is not one of its websites and CreditReport.com has no affiliation with the job offer.
“If you are ever asked to provide a credit report for any reason, obtain it yourself from one of the three major credit reporting bureaus. Also remember that you are entitled to one free credit report every year, which you can get at www.annualcreditreport.com,” said Dale Mingilton, president and CEO of BBB Serving Denver/Boulder. “Be extremely careful when applying for jobs online. High unemployment has paved the way for so many job scams like this.”
There are numerous red flags associated with this latest scheme. Not only does the specific credit check requirement instructions hint at possible identity theft, but the addresses for the call centers don’t match up with any such operation; one of them, in fact is a parking lot. Finally, www.getsomegifts.com is full of too-good-to-be-true offers such as free iPhones, free Xboxes, and free $500 gift cards to Wal-Mart and Best Buy, just to name a few.
When the BBB tried to apply for these “free” offers, security systems blocked the website entirely.
The BBB warns job seekers to thoroughly investigate companies before applying for employment.