Craigslist warns of job scams

Job-seekers beware: There's a new warning on Craigslist.com.

The Web site recently posted a scam alert, telling applicants to be on the lookout for bogus ads that promise work that doesn't exist.

"The ones that sound too good to be true, they usually are," said Kevin Jackson, chief investigator for Florida's Hillsborough County Consumer Protection Agency.

The job scams have been out there for years, but the problem may be growing because unemployment is so high, he said.

"That desperate place where people are at, looking for a job, sometimes they let their guard down and they let go of that information, and that's really a warning they need to heed," Jackson said.

These bogus ads can take many forms. Some promise high wages for minimal, at-home work.

"It's sitting at home doing some menial task for a lot of money and those things generally turn out to be scams," Jackson said.

Other job postings request credit-card or personal information to run a background check. Job-seekers never should pay to apply for employment.

Jackson said job-seekers should go to job fairs and job-placement centers, as an alternative to applying online for ads on Craigslist.

He also applauds Craigslist's effort to police its postings.

"They take consumer feedback on a daily basis and remove ads every day, so they're doing what they can, but that doesn't mean they can get them all," he said. "Consumers still need to be aware there are still going to be fake ads on Craigslist."