Scammers continue capitalizing on pandemic problems.
In the latest twist many have been using Facebook to target San Jose's Latino community, luring victims with the promise of high paying jobs in construction, shipping jobs with Amazon and house cleaning.
“There’s a lot of publications offering many jobs and honestly, I wrote to them because I need work,” said Olman Varela.
He said he’s in dire need of a job and applied to a few positions, which sent him fake Amazon links.
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His number one tool for job hunting has been Facebook where he’s able to apply and communicate with employers in his native language Spanish.
“A lot of us Latinos need a job, that’s why we’re here, to work and they take advantage of that,” said Varela.
He thinks scammers are targeting the Latino community migrating here to work. So how do we know what’s real in a time when almost everyone is looking to hire and often offering big perks?
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“Really the most important thing is are they asking for social security numbers and verification of their identification early on in the process,” said Dr. Matt Cabot, professor of public relations and social media at SJSU.
Cabot said a big red flag is jobs offering abnormal salaries, and he warns about accepting a job that you haven’t formally applied for.
“The criminals have no heart. They are going after people who need work and their stealing their identities and it's awful,” he said.
Facebook has a few tips as well, including researching the employer, being cautious about “at home shipping jobs” and meeting for interviews in a safe location.
