Scammers, pirates, identity thieves, spoofers, fraudsters…they go by many names, and they are targeting Workampers.
Workamping opens up amazing opportunities, but like any job search, it also comes with risks. Unfortunately, a small number of bad actors try to take advantage of Workampers with offers that sound too good to be true. By learning how to recognize the warning signs, you can protect yourself and make sure your next job is safe and legitimate.
Are you practicing good internet hygiene? Are you doing your best to keep your sensitive data secure and protect it from theft or attacks?
The Risks of “Free” Job Boards and Groups
As a Workamper, you may be tempted by the allure of “free” websites, but have you really stopped to think about who you might be giving your sensitive information to?
Scammers infiltrate free-to-use websites and social media groups since it’s easy. It takes just a few minutes to create an account (some sites don’t even require this step) and submit a “job posting” that will be available for any unsuspecting Workamper to find.
Many of these free websites are not monitored and are simply created to drive traffic to and increase banner ad network revenue earnings. Social media group admins do their best to keep out any junk, but they’re just volunteers with other jobs and things going on in their lives.
Why Workamper.com Is a Safer Choice
At Workamper News, we take extra steps to keep your information safe and ensure the job opportunities you see are legitimate.
- Secure website: Our SSL encryption keeps your personal data protected from prying eyes.
- Member paywall: Scammers are far less likely to invest money to gain access, which helps keep them out.
- Human review: Every new account and job ad is checked by our staff before it’s published.
These safeguards create a safer environment so you can focus on finding the right Workamping opportunities with confidence.
Just last week, our team thwarted a scammer’s attempt to gain access to our system and successfully shut him down before any damage was done. In the past, we’ve seen some Help Wanted ad scams submitted to our site, but this time it was a more advanced attempt. We figured this story would be a great reminder for you to be safe with your sensitive data.
The scammer joined Workamper.com by paying for a yearly Employer Gold membership. Yes, he actually paid the yearly cost of Employer Gold membership via a credit card (more on that later). He then submitted a help wanted ad to be ran in our online Hotline system.
Again, we are a professional membership service with a team in our office that looks at each new Employer membership account created, and we manually process every help wanted ad that is submitted. Our team immediately spotted some concerning things about this new account.
The scammer’s membership account had a couple of questionable aspects such as a company name that, upon researching, was no longer active in the state they said they were in as well as a phone number that had been disconnected. Pairing that with the vague, “remote work” help wanted ad that was submitted, we knew we needed to take action. We immediately deactivated the scammer’s membership account and of course did not publish the ad out to our members.
The scammer responded to our first email inquiry, but the response only provided information that helped us further validate this was not legit. Two additional emails were sent and a voicemail left to attempt to verify if the business that this scammer was claiming to be was actually a real entity seeking a remote worker. We received no further reply.
We refunded the credit card transaction that the scammer had processed to become a member. At this point, we assumed this credit card had been stolen and was being used fraudulently.
Our assumption was confirmed when the credit card owner called us the next day – she and her bank were investigating fraudulent charges made to her card. The scammers had setup the membership account with her name, address, email address, and credit card info. Yes, they had even garnered access to her email account.
So, please be cautious out there on the internet. Be sure to do your due diligence on any business or individual that you are considering sending your personal information to or going to work for.
Be sure to research the company online, find them on social media platforms, and read reviews from others, even if it’s just reviews of the business’ products and services. Depending on the state the business is in, you can typically search for a business entity by name with the Secretary of State’s website to verify that the business is still active. Do all of these things before you send them any personal information. As the old adage goes, it’s better to be safe than sorry.
7 Tips for Good Internet Hygiene as a Workamper
Here are seven practical steps you can take to protect yourself online:
1. Be cautious with free job boards
- When a website is free, that typically means that YOU are the product, and any one out there – scammer or not – is using it to their advantage. Only use resources where the Employer is paying to distribute their help wanted ads to help ensure the ad is legit.
2. Keep personal info private
- Don’t share things like your contact information, current location, pictures with your license plates in it, etc. If you do want to post somewhere that is wide-open, create an email address that you don’t use for anything important and put that as your only contact point.
3. Limit resume details at first contact
- If you are responding to a job listing that does not share what the hiring business/entity is, start by sending an email requesting additional information or a phone call to gather the critical details you need to make an informed decision.
4. Verify every employer
- Before providing things like a W-4, I-9, direct deposit approval form, etc, due your due diligence. Most states provide a free business-lookup tool on their government website; that’s one step to take in your investigation. Also, google them, read reviews, find them on Facebook. If they are a legit company, they should have all of those things.
5. Never give payment info as part of the application process
- While it’s possible that an employer would have a cost for a uniform or some specialized equipment required for a job, typically the cost will be deducted from the first paycheck. Be cautious if they are asking for your credit card information for something like this during the hiring process.
6. Read reviews from other Workampers
- Try to connect with any Workampers working for that employer. The ads in our system will have a link to any reviews, and members can use the Member Map to reach out to any Workampers they find in the location of the job they are researching.
7. Use strong, unique passwords
- Use a password manager tool, like LastPass, OnePass, or RoboForm, to store your passwords and generate secure passwords for every site. This is one of the best things you can possibly do for internet security. Set one up today – many are free to use so there’s no excuse to be using the same weak passwords over and over again for all your accounts.
Don’t Let Scams Stop Your Adventures
Please don’t let this type of scenario hold you back from your dreams of enjoying this country in your RV. We are not sharing this story to try to scare you or keep you from Workamping. The majority of the Workamping job opportunities you encounter will be legitimate.
Most Workamping employers are trustworthy and value the help you provide. But staying alert to potential scams ensures that your Workamping journey is both safe and rewarding. Just stay alert, share with caution, trust your instincts, do your research, and use trusted platforms like Workamper.com, where every employer and ad is reviewed before it goes live. Browse current Workamper Job Listings here.
Leave a Reply