October 28, 2021 ~
Thanks to the good work by companies out there keeping an eye on security aspects of the web and its reach, a new internet scam has been uncovered.
Wordfence is one such company, providing WordPress website developers with software that protects WordPress-built websites (about 40% of all websites on the web1) from hacking. Mark Maunder, Wordfence Founder & CEO, has veered a bit from his usual ‘lane’ and published a post that is concerning to remote work job seekers.
The latest scam involves using the names and likenesses of legitimate companies and offering ‘remote work’ opportunities. Long story short, beware of directly replying to a job on a job board. Instead, go to the company’s website and find the job posting there.
This version of the scam involves the scammers getting some of your personal information, and then conduct an ‘interview’ over Skype, direct messaging, or such. The applicant is offered the job, then sent a ‘check’ to deposit or cash (that will eventually bounce) and buy office furniture and/or supplies at a ‘preferred’ supplier that is actually linked to the scammers. The goal is to either get the money via the furniture purchases, or collecting enough personal information that they can steal your identity. Ugh.
The full post gives you some tools for avoiding this scam, first and foremost, visit the actual company website to view their job listings.
Read the complete post about the remote work scam on the WordFence website.
~KP
PS I use the free version of the WordFence plugin, and subscribe to their email updates.
1. WordPress market share resource: https://kinsta.com/wordpress-market-share/