Denver, CO – A new scam has hit Colorado that targets the unemployed by luring them in with a high-paying job offer, but appears to only be after their personal information.
A posting on Craigslist offers call center jobs in downtown Denver, DTC and Boulder, paying $18.50 an hour. The supposed employer describes itself as an “Internet-based gift-giving service.”
The first step to apply for the job according to the entity’s website, http://www.getsomegifts.com/jobs.htm, created in October, is completing a free credit check. The website directs applicants to get their credit report at http://www.freecreditcheck.co.nr.
This particular Web address originates in the Republic of Nauru, a small island located in the Western Pacific. The link takes you to what appears to be a website for the California-based company, CreditReport.com. The BBB contacted CreditReport.com directly and confirmed that www.freecreditcheck.co.nr is not one of its websites and they have no affiliation with this entity.
The BBB advises that if you are ever asked to provide a credit report for any reason, obtain it yourself from one of the three major credit reporting bureaus. Also remember that you are entitled to one free credit report every year, which you can get at www.annualcreditreport.com
There are numerous red flags associated with this latest scheme. Not only does the specific credit check instructions hint at possible identity theft, but the addresses for the call centers don’t match up with any such operation; in fact, one is a parking lot.
Finally, www.getsomegifts.com is full of too-good-to-be-true offers such as free iPhones, free Xboxes, and free $500 gift cards to Walmart and Best Buy among others.
When the BBB tried to apply for these “free” offers, security systems blocked the website entirely.
The BBB warns job seekers to thoroughly investigate companies before applying for employment.