Troubleshooter: Job scam could cost you thousands

If you're looking for a new job in the new year, you need to be on guard. Scammers are on the websites where your resume is posted looking for their next victim.

Wendell resident Charleitta Herring is looking for a job. She said she's been applying on various websites and putting her resume on popular job search websites.

She got an email that stated, "We noticed your resume, did you apply for a job on Indeed?"

"I was like, 'oh yes!'" she said.

Charleitta was excited because she's been out of work for a few months and said she was optimistic this could be a good opportunity. She said she communicated back and forth with a person who claimed to be a recruiter with a well-known health care service provider.

As part of the interview process, she had to go through several steps which included taking a test. "I took the assessment. I scored an 8.4 out of 10, congratulations, you're hired," she said.

The job was for an administrative assistant position and Charleitta said she was told she would work from home. Through messenger, Charleitta was told to get started she would need office supplies, and they would send her a check to cover the cost, and also a portion of the check would include her sign on bonus. Within days, a FedEx envelope was delivered to her door and inside was a check for $3,899.99. "When a person is looking for a job, and all you want to do is pay your bills and contribute, and you open an envelope with this check in it, you think wow," Charleitta added.

The check came with instructions on what to do next. It stated Charleitta should cash the check and then call for further instructions. Charleitta said she saw the red flags right away because she wondered why would the company send her a check for so much money. She took the check right to her bank and asked them to verify the check was legit.

Her bank made a few calls and learned the check was fraudulent. "Somebody is gonna fall for that. They are going to be on the hook, and they are gonna be in trouble, and I didn't want that to happen to anyone," Charleitta said.

Charleitta is right because many viewers have told me they have fallen for this scam.

The scammers get their money if the bank cashes the check. They would ask you to keep your bonus but then send the rest of the money to someone else to pay for the office supplies. After you sent the money, the bank would contact you and tell you the check is bad, and now you owe all that money back to the bank.

Often times, it's not always known if a check is bad right away because it takes time. Before accepting any job, the best advice is to research the company that is offering you the job. If they want you to pay any money up front, that's a big red flag. If they ask you to cash checks, and then wire money to someone else, that's also a big red flag.

Click here for other ways to spot a job scam.