To a Human Resources rep or Job Recruiter. Are these scams for Identity theft or legitimate?
My entire department lost their jobs due to a reduction in force. I am a technical SAP Consultant and technical Project Manager and have posted my resume online on Monster.com. There are 2 episodes that happened and I would appreciate your feedback and opinion. This has never happened before and I am protective of my social security number because of all of the identity theft. Also, I had never heard of the companies and thought they were new hiring agencies:
The first incident…
-The very first thing they said in their email: "Send your social security number asap." I replied to their email with the following "where is this project located, is it long term or short term, what are the project requirements?" They replied again with "send me your social security number asap." No other wording in the email. Of course I did not reply.
The second incident….
-This person started with "thank you for your interest in the project, send your social security number, 3 documents with proof of your technical work for the past 3 projects, and the names of 3 companies you worked for, with reference names and their telephone numbers." Shouldn’t this information be obtained from me until AFTER I at least speak or email them regarding the project requirements, location, start date, my qualifications and if I am a fit for the project or company? Also, I would not give documents to anyone with a company name on it as I value the confidentiality of the companies I have worked for.
I have a feeling these are fronts for people trying to steal information since they have no web site, only an email address, or is getting a person’s social security number and other company private information standard these days from job hunters?
Thank you…
Anyone who asks for your Social Security number up front is a scam or trying to get a look at your credit report. Never, ever send them your social security number unless you’ve met them in person, seen the company and are in the final stages of getting the job. Never put your SSN on the internet – ever.