by Abigail Ramirez
Daily Lobo
It took student Sophie Lucero two months to find out that her new job was a scam.
She had just lost a job and needed money, so she applied for a position selling knives.
"I was so excited when they called me back to go in for the training session," she said, "that I didn't even think of checking out if they were legit."
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She paid the company $150 for her supplies, she said.
The company was supposed to call her when the supplies came so she could start working.
"I waited for their call," she said. "When I drove by their office, they were gone."
People fall into scam jobs
because they are not aware of the scams going on, said Judy Rokovich, spokeswoman for the Albuquerque Better Business Bureau.
"Sometimes people are really in a bind, and they really need cash, and they really need a job," she said. "They take a chance, and it's not what they thought it was."
Students can look for red flags to stay away from those kinds of jobs, she said.
Those warning signs include businesses that charge a fee for information, make applicants take a series of tests and have a 1-800 number and no local address or phone number.
"Typically with a job, you are on a payroll, are answerable to them for your actions, and are going to be in the office at some point," she said. "You're not going to pay a fee up front to work for them. It just doesn't work that way."
Rokovich suggested speaking to a job-placement officer on campus to help students find a part-time or full-time position.
Looking for employment in newspaper advertisements and finding a temporary-employment agency are options students can take, she said.
The bureau and city or state agencies can confirm the validity of a business.
Many times the bureau doesn't have reports on scam businesses, because the companies move around, she said.
By the time the bureau does hear about the company, it is usually gone, she said.
"There are always people that want to take advantage of others, and it's unfortunate, but it's the reality," she said. "It pays to look at any offer like that through eyes of a prudent and say, 'OK, but let me check it out.'"
If a company has scammed a student, the student can file a complaint with the bureau, the New Mexico Attorney General's Office or the attorney general's office where the company is, she said.
Advertisements for scam companies have become more sophisticated with technology and are hard to tell apart from credible companies, she said.
Fake work-at-home opportunities used to come strictly by mail, she said.
"E-mail came around, and so people are just inundated with offers, and they have gotten to where they can look very legitimate," she said. "These are old scams, but they kind of morphed over time."
