TAMPA, Fla. -- A warning for anyone looking for a job online, because the position you applied for could be a scam.
This summer, Dr. Mark McCaughey's office started getting calls from dozens of applicants about a dental assisting job.
"We got phone calls for about a week. I would say three or four phone calls a day," Dr. McCaughey said.
The only problem was his office was not hiring.
"It was very confusing. Obviously, we would never post a false advertisement." McCaughey said.
Scammers created fake job ads on LinkedIn and Indeed using the South Tampa Dentistry's name, all to get unknowing job seekers to call a number, for a fake interview, and with those job seekers giving real personal information.
"Phone number, social security; whatever’s requested during that process," McCaughey said.
According to staff with the Better Business Bureau of West Florida, more people fall for job scams than any other scam.
"So far this year, BBB Scam Tracker has seen over 30 scams reported in the Tampa Bay Area," Oglesby said.
Oglesby said that was only what was reported to them; just about 10 percent of the total number.
"As a consumer, you never want to provide personal information unless you know who you’re doing business with and that the information is pertinent for the job application," Oglesby said.
Other signs to look for include grammatical errors, links redirecting you to other websites, and them asking for too much personal information up front.
