Lt. Gov. Osbert E. Potter, who serves as chairman of the Virgin Islands Banking Board, cautions all consumers to be on the alert for online job search scams. Scammers are targeting Virgin Islands job seekers and offering opportunities for employment in exchange for payment before obtaining the job, according to a Thursday press release from the Office of the Lieutenant Governor.
In most instances, the scammers will say they will send the job seeker money or valuables, or they ask to use the job seeker’s personal bank account to transfer funds. Some scammers will even send to the job seeker what seems to be an authentic cashier’s check or a check written on a known bank or credit union.
The job seeker is instructed to deposit or cash the check, keep some of the money for themselves and send the rest of the money to the scammer via Western Union or MoneyGram. Then, a few days or weeks later, the bank notifies the job seeker that the check is fraudulent. In these instances, the job seeker will be held personally responsible for all of the money on the face of the check if the money is withdrawn and will lose the money sent to the scammer
“If you have to pay for the promise of a job, then it is likely a scam. Do not give out your mailing address, cell phone number or any other identifying information to a company that requires you to pay in exchange for a job. Please report any suspicious or questionable e-mails to the Virgin Islands Police Department or other law enforcement entity immediately,” said Potter.
For further information, contact the Division of Banking and Insurance at the Office of the Lieutenant Governor on St. Croix at 773-6459 or on St. Thomas or St. John at 774-7166. Complaints can also be filed with The Federal Trade Commission, which is the national consumer protection agency, at www.ftc.gov.
