Beware of unsolicited job offers!

With the cost of everything going up and up and up, along with my stress level, any offer of a way I can make more money is tempting. And I get these text messages that tell me about jobs with so many benefits! Flexible, work from home, make money during your lunch break, and on and on and on. I even sometimes daydream of what I would do with the extra money, which bill I would pay, which debt I would pay down, which fancy drink I would get. 

But they are scams. How do I know, you may ask.

•I didn’t apply for these jobs they are offering. 

•I don’t know this person in my professional life or my personal life. 

•I get the same type of text message over and over and over. 

I have also had people talk to me during our financial literacy meetings about the debt they have from taking these jobs. They are scams that target people in desperate situations, and they mass text phone numbers to get responses from a few people who they then scam. 

The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre outlines these types of scams: https://antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca/scams-fraudes/job-emploi-eng.htm

Thoroughly research any job offer before giving any personal information. Even if you apply for a job, make sure it is legitimate before moving forward.