Los Angeles Times: Scammers target desperate job seekers

[marmar]

A weak labor market is hurting the U.S. recovery, but it's been lucrative for scammers, who are bilking unemployed workers out of millions of dollars in fees to steer clients to jobs that never materialize, watchdogs say.

Many of these schemes have been around for years, promising people who send money a chance to work as bartenders, home inspectors or "secret shoppers" for retail chains. But with nearly 15 million Americans out of work, consumer groups and law enforcement agencies say these scams are multiplying as con artists capitalize on the misery of the unemployed.

"It's an epidemic. It's opportunity time for fraud artists, and people are so desperate to earn a living that they easily fall for the scam," said Ellyn Lindsay, an assistant U.S. attorney in Los Angeles who has prosecuted several of these swindlers.

Although federal authorities don't keep statistics on employment-related fraud incidents, the Better Business Bureau says such cases are on the rise. ...........(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-job-scams-20101024,0,2286668.story

[dgauss]

1. Amazing how some humans can mimic the characteristics of parasites

Opportunistic, adaptable. without conscience.