Ala. (WAFF) – If you are currently searching for a new job, the Better Business Bureau (BBB) of North Alabama is sounding an alarm after receiving nine reports about a fraudulent remote data entry job—all filed within a single 48-hour window last week
The scam was actively advertised on major job boards, including ZipRecruiter and Indeed, under the business name Parkway Greenhouse LLC.
The BBB says the address listed on the job posting doesn’t exist; this supposed business is just the first of several major red flags.
Victims of the scam reported that the hiring process moved very quickly. After filling out a simple online questionnaire, applicants were offered the position almost immediately.
Before any real work began, the scammers asked for bank account details under the guise of setting up direct deposit.
Karen Reeves, President and CEO of the Better Business Bureau of North Alabama, explained that this scam is often a front for a devastating financial trap: the fake check scheme.
“What they’re trying to do is get you to… This is going to be a fake check,” Reeves said. “They’re going to get you to deposit it. You’ll go out and purchase this equipment, and then they’ll say, ‘Oh, I think we sent you too much. I need you to turn around and wire or transfer that money back to us.’”
The BBB warns that the fake check may appear to clear in your bank account at first, but that does not mean it is legitimate. It can take weeks for a bank to discover a check is fraudulent. By the time the bank flags it, the victim is held fully responsible for the lost funds, leaving them on the hook for thousands of dollars.
To keep your identity and savings safe, Reeves advises job seekers to step back, slow down, and trust their instincts.
“There are several things that you need to look out for when you are online looking for a job,” Reeves said. ”First of all, a face-to-face interview. If it’s a remote position, at the very least, you should be doing some type of video interview with somebody—with a real person—and absolutely they should not be asking for sensitive information. Also, do some homework.”
Reeves stresses that legitimate employers will never rush to pry into your personal finances “right out of the gate.”
“A legitimate company is going to have their job postings more than likely on their website,” Reeves said. “Go to the company’s website, check them out. You do your homework about them. Make sure there’s legitimate contact information. But when someone is asking right out the gate for sensitive information, bank account information, social security information, those are huge red flags.”
If you are looking for remote work, the BBB says protecting yourself from these traps comes down to going directly to the
Most importantly, never give out sensitive bank details or Social Security numbers before you have verified exactly who you are dealing with. If you believe you have been targeted by a scam, you can report it to the BBB Scam Tracker to help protect others in the community.
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