Beware of Online Help Wanted Scams, BBB Warns

As the unemployment rate climbed yet again during this seemingly endless recession, desperate job seekers need to be extra careful not to get sucker punched by bogus help wanted ads.

Many of these phony help wanted listings, the Better Business Bureau warns, are designed to extract upfront fees or steal your identity.

For instance, a recent job scam in upstate New York lured victims with phony data entry job listings on craigslist -- ads supposedly placed by the BBB.

A local job seeker who responded to the fake job offer was informed via email that she'd been chosen for an interview. The email also told her that employees are paid via direct deposit and invited her to click a link in order to enroll with their preferred bank.