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| 5/6 - An Army “Phishing” Test Backfires |
An e-mail, which had the Army’s official MWR logo, appeared to be an attempt to obtain personal information from soldiers by offering promises of free or discounted tickets to theme parks and attractions.
The MWR Command eventually found out that the phishers were the Army’s own Network Enterprise Technology Command.
The phishing scam e-mail listed a Web link with an online registration form asking for a name, e-mail address, phone, city, state and ZIP code. The e-mail apparently went out across the service to soldiers’ Army e-mail accounts and to MWR professionals...read more.
Note: Phishing scams are when an e-mail is sent to a user falsely claiming to be an established legitimate enterprise in an attempt to scam the user into surrendering private information that will be used for identity theft. The e-mail directs the user to visit a Web site where they are asked to update personal information, such as passwords and credit card, social security, and bank account numbers, that the legitimate organization already has. The Web site, however, is bogus and set up only to steal the user’s information. |
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| 4/28 - Internet Security Threat Report - April 2008 |
The latest Internet Security Threat Report was released in April 2008 by Symantec Corp. The report concludes that the Web is now the primary conduit of attack activity, as opposed to network attacks, and that online users can increasingly be infected simply by visiting everyday Web sites.
In addition, attackers are leveraging a maturing underground economy to buy, sell and trade stolen information. This economy is now characterized by a number of traits common in traditional economies. For example, market forces of supply and demand have a direct impact on pricing. Credit card information, which has become plentiful in this environment, accounted for 13% of all advertised goods -- down from 22% in the previous period and sold for as low as $0.40. The price of a credit card in this underground market is determined by factors such as the location of the issuing bank. Bank account credentials have become the most frequently advertised item making up 22% of all goods and selling for as little as $10.
Other interesting findings in the report include:
- Theft or loss of a computer or other device made up 57% of all data breaches during the last half of 2007 and accounted for 46% of all reported breaches in the previous reporting period.
- Government was the top industry sector for identities exposed, accounting for 60% of the total, an increase from 12% in the previous reporting period.
- A full identity can be purchased in the underground economy for as little as $1.
The report is derived from data collected by millions of Internet sensors, first-hand research and active monitoring of hacker communications and provides a global view of the state of Internet security.
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| 4/21 - Don't Fall for Work at Home Scams |
A good article on MSNBC reviews why just about all work from home jobs are actually scams. These jobs include at-home sales, packaging, mystery shopping, and other classic scams. Definitely not real jobs, these crooks are hoping to lure you into providing them with your information for identity theft and/or bank information. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
Related Resources
The Better Business Bureau has a nice little section that specifically addresses the Most Common Work-at-Home scams being seen online and offline.
The National Consumers League maintains a great website that addresses Fraud and Internet Fraud. In addition, they also have a specific page on Work-at-Home Scams. |
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| 4/9 - Old Phishing Scam |
See the email below for a new take on an old phishing scam. Again, read the content. The job is too good to be true. 100% flexible hours and a free iPhone! Don't fall for junk like this.
Dear Sir/Madam,
We are happy to have your little time and paying our attention to this letter.Precious Metals incorporated company is looking forward to co-operate with you and provide you the vacancy of financial department employee in our company. We can definately say that after we had a chance to get acquainted with your resume, placed at one of the job seeking websites.
The company specializes in the sphere of purchasing, selling and exchanging different types of the most popular precious metals such as gold, silver, platinum and palladium. Precious Metals was found in 2002, and we started as a small business in Poland. Strong motivation and concentrated working made us well known in Europe and allowed to expand internationally. For more than five years we bring the best service quality and assistance to our highly respected customers.
Since we started entering foreign and overseas markets, also dealing with US precios metals market, we need a strong and reliable staff, so we are looking for honest and confident employees.
The best working conditions are provided for all of our employees by the company. Each of them is supported with the most functional connection devices known nowadays(such as Apple iPhones or Blackberries and MacBook Pro laptops) to make your work easier and more comfortable. $165,000 annual salary is that what we guarantee. Annual salary of $225,000 for MBA degree holders is provided as a privelege. Each employee receives the salary payment monthly, in the end of each month of working.
We do not perform this vacancy as a full-time employment, the working shedule is flexible, the best way is to choose the most comfortable hours during a day to perform your duties. Though, you will have to check your email during the working day, answer to our managers phone calls – they will provide you working instructions, answer your questions and support you. So you always have a strong assistance and able to get help with each step.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask them via email: n.jones.pm.inc@XXX.XXX
or try this number (XXX) 394-8945 (9 AM - 7 PM EST, Monday - Friday)
We are looking forward to hearing from you.
Natalie Jones, PM Inc
n.jones.pm.inc@XXX.XXX
(XXX) 394-8945 (9 AM - 7 PM EST, Monday - Friday)
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| 3/12 - Overseas Job Scams |
Finding a new job can be difficult and frustrating. Having skills in high demand and a security clearance can make you a very attractive candidate. Those same attributes can also make you a target for overseas job scams.
When surfing the internet looking for your dream job overseas, beware of job firms listing sky-high salaries and a toll free number for you to call for more information.
Conduct research on the company at the Better Business Bureau.
Overseas Job Scam Tips
- Be skeptical of overseas employment opportunities that sound "too good to be true".
- Never send cash in the mail, and be extremely cautious with firms that require a money order.
- Official-sounding names mean nothing. Many scam artists operate under names that sound like those of long-standing, reputable firms.
- Avoid working with firms that require payment in advance.
- Do not give your credit card or bank account number to telephone solicitors.
- Read the contract very carefully. Have an attorney look over any documents you are asked to sign.
- Beware of an agency that is unwilling to give you a written contract.
- Do not hesitate to ask questions. You have a right to know what services to expect and the costs involved.
- Take time to weigh all the pros and cons of the situation. Be wary of demands that "you must act now".
- Keep a copy of all agreements you sign, as well as copies of checks you forward to the company.
Source: Better Business Bureau
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| 2/25 - Are You A Human? CAPTCHA Will Know… |
The internet has developed to the point where software can automatically fill/submit web forms, create email accounts, and apply for jobs online. Many sites, including ClearanceJobs.com, are now using a method called CAPTCHA to block these automated submissions. If you are not logged into ClearanceJobs.com, you will see a CAPTCHA (see image below) that needs to be completed before you can submit a job application.
Remember: To avoid this CAPTCHA, either log in with your existing credentials or register with ClearanceJobs.com.
CAPTCHAs are commonly used on web forms, where the user enters some information, such as an URL, a comment, a post, or registration; this will prevent automated software from performing actions such as: posting to blogs or forums, submitting job applications, commenting, signups, registrations, etc.
Now, I know what you’re probably thinking. CAPTCHA tests are annoying and sometimes hard to solve. However, they are used for your safety and ours.
Sometimes hackers and/or spammers use “bots” to attack websites, networks, and users. Since “bots” are computer programs, they are unable to solve CAPTCHA tests. However, humans can easily type in the right code and continue through the application processes. These infuriating, bothersome, and annoying CAPTCHA tests help keep our users safe. Try to think about the positive side of CAPTCHAs when you fill them out.
For more information about CAPTCHAs and how they work:
- History of Captcha
- Captcha Project
- Wikipedia: CAPTCHA
Did you know?
A CAPTCHA stands for "Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart".
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| 2/12 - Spoofing Alert - ClearanceJobs.com |
It appears that someone is spoofing ClearanceJobs.com in a spam email. The email has a link to a file on the LatPro.com job board, which is a real job board. DO NOT click, run, or download the file. We are contacting LatPro.com to tell them that someone has managed to add a malicious file to their service.
ClearanceJobs.com is in no way affiliated or related to LatPro.com.
Thanks |
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| 1/31 - CareerBuilder Phishing Scam Making Rounds on Internet |
Emails are circulating around the internet claiming to be from CareerBuilder.com. While CareerBuilder isn't affiliated with our site in any way, we thought we'd warn people to not fall for this email.
The scam email is as follows:
Dear employer
Due to a recent security breach in the Careerbuilder computer system, a new set of terms and conditions has been issued. In order to guarantee the security of your Careerbuilder account , we need you to login over a secure connection and confirm your user and password, by clicking the link below.After the process is completed, your account will be secured as stated in the new terms of use.
Please click on the link below and login in order to accept the new terms and conditions that have been issued ( Online Access Agreement Update ) :
http://www.careerbuilder.com/share/login.aspx?sc_cmp2=JS_Nav_MyCB_Login
After completing this process, you will be redirected to our new terms of use.
Thank you
A few things make this stick out as a junk email. First, clicking the link redirects you to a URL that is not on the CareerBuilder site. Second, the email doesn't look like a standard CareerBuilder email.
Don't fall for it!
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| 1/25 - Laughable Spam Email |
Here's another piece of spam, this time poorly disguised as a job offer:
Hello, I am Tanya
I am manager of Russian reseller company: "Nix inc".
htt://nix.ru/
Our company need US and Ca partners for dropshipping.
We buy staff in the USA and resell it to our clients in Eastern Europe (including Russia).
If you are interested in cooperation we offer the following conditions:
You recieve a package
Then we send you pre-paid shipping label (we have our own USPS account), you should print it and put on the box.
Then you go to the nearest USPS office and ship this package as soon as it possible.
We will pay money for your work via Paypal each two weeks.
The first month of work you will get $20 per package (it is some kind of verification), and then $40 per each.
Please, provide us with the
following details to get started:
Age,Name,Address for receiving package ( will be delevered 10:30 am - 16:30 pm)
Telephone number!!!
If you are interested in this offer please write on: job@nixreselling.com for more information.
If our offer you does not interest simply ignore this letter. Excuse for troubling.
Thanks a lot!
Tanya.
Unless you are hunting for a job in Russia, there's no reason to even read emails from anyone claiming to be from there, or having anything to do with the country. Other dead giveaways that this is pure junk include poor English, requests for personal information, and the offer to pay for doing menial tasks like delivering boxes. |
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| 1/23 - Should I Provide Clearance Details? |
There's some debate as to whether a job seeker should provide clearance details on their resume. As a rule, the government suggests that you NOT make your clearance details known in a public forum. ClearanceJobs.com is not a public forum.
Our service has restricted access – only authorized government contractors and legitimate search firms are allowed access to your resume. We manually pre-screen each employer requesting access. All employers gaining access to ClearanceJobs.com must be U.S.-based, and all recruiters using our system must be U.S. citizens. Additionally, we do not allow employer access to ClearanceJobs.com from outside the continental United States. Employers must be manually pre-screened. Unlike all other job boards, it is not possible to obtain resume database access on ClearanceJobs.com with only a credit card. Don’t forget – other “monster” type job boards allow anyone, from any country, to access your resume with a credit card.
ClearanceJobs.com is not a public forum, but rather a secure, closed access system, so you can provide clearance details should you choose to do so. |
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| 12/19 - More Junk Email |
Here is an example of a phishing scam spam seen recently. The goal of the email is to entice potential job applicants to contact the fake company. During a fake interview, the candidate would be asked for various personal items like Social Security Number, bank account information for "direct payment of salary", etc.
TRX Group International Ltd.
95 Wilton Road, London, SW1V 1BZ, United Kingdom
International head office phone: +4407092897500
US and Canada fax: +1 (425) 871-1160
Hello!
I ran across your resume on an employment website recently, and your qualifications made you stand out. TRX Group needs people like you to fill Regional business manager positions that are currently open. From the experiences and qualifications you have listed I feel you would be likely candidate to fill this position.
We at TRX Group are dedicated to providing a wide range of services to assist people who have worked abroad in Tax refunds. With 3 years experience in the international tax refunds area, the aim of TRX Group tax refund dept. is to obtain the maximum possible legal refund , in the fastest time possible and with the minimum amount of hassle.
We are currently searching for qualified individuals to join our team. There are several types of positions available throughout the United States and Canada. We are looking for tax preparers, District Managers, Office Supervisors and Regional Business Representatives. Year-Round and Seasonal opportunities are available. We also offer ownership potential.
Candidates for the Regional Business Representative position with TRX Group must be hard working and employ excellent communication skills. Responsibilities of the position include the use of a variety of web based tools to investigate and to resolve issues in a professional and timely manner.
Income potential for this position is tremendous. Based upon qualifications and experience, monthly income ranges from $6000 - $7000.
Other benefits associated with this position include Medical Insurance, and Educational Advancement Opportunities.
Salary: Annual gross starting salary of $48k-72k USD, paid in monthly installments by your choice.
Performance Bonuses: Up to three percent of your annual gross salary, paid bi-monthly by your choice.
Benefits: Standard benefits for salaried-exempt employees (one month after beginning your hire date), including the following
- 401(k) retirement account
- Child daycare assistance
- Education assistance
- Sick leave
- Vacation and personal days
To accept this job offer:
Please forward your resume (in Microsoft Word or Text format), contact information and questions to HR dept. e-mail: hr@trxgroup.org
You will be contacted within 5 business days.
Best regards,
David Beasley
HR Dept.
TRX Group International LTD.
Remember, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. A few things here jump out as wrong: First, the only requirements are thin, and those that anyone would naturally have - "hard working" and "good communication skills." Most real jobs have real requirements. The foreign origination is another red flag. Next, the high salary, bonus, and full benefits for doing "web-based" work are another giveaway that this is a fake job. Also, all fake jobs are overly accomodating to appeal to a broad audience. The fake job text reads: "There are several types of positions available throughout the United States and Canada. We are looking for tax preparers, District Managers, Office Supervisors and Regional Business Representatives. Year-Round and Seasonal opportunities are available."
Don't be fooled by fake job ads like this. When in doubt, contact someone from a job board's customer service department, a reputable staffing firm, or someone else "in the know" who can help you validate whether a job offer is legitimate or spam. |
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| 11/30 - Example of Fake Job Offer |
We wanted to post an example of a fake job offer here to give you ideas on what to look for. This is an actual email we received.
Unique career opportunity to reward your skills and talents
Good afternoon,
My name is Jane Eshkova, and I'm a senior HR manager for Compass Group Corp. At the moment, our company has an open position for Remote Manager in the Department of Small Investment Projects. We have considered your application, and we believe that you are a suitable candidate for this position.
Here is a brief description of this job :
Location: United States
Status: AVAILABLE
Employee Type: Full-Time Employee, Part-Time Employee
Description
Managing company's minor investment projects mostly related to promoting antivirus software products, anti-phishing solutions, data protection and comprehensive PC security packages. Additional investment projects are related to development of graphic applications, corporate identity design, building turnkey web sites.
All the projects have different levels of complexity. Level 1 project are very easy, and even a housewife can manage such projects.
Level 5 projects demand special knowledge in marketing strategy of product promotions, and also programming skills.
The tasks of the Remote Manager are:
- To ensure that top notch service is consistently provided to customers;
- Maximize conversion of telephone inquiries into paid orders;
- Achieve objectives by utilizing effective telephone techniques and interactions with potential customers.
The Remote Manager studies every inquiry, calculates service commission, develops a cash-flow scheme for each order, consults clients on payment conversion details, etc. The training course is enclosed.
Salary
The payment $2,500 per month + 2-5% from each order.
Qualifications:
- Age range from 21 to 40 years
- Communicates effectively, verbally and in writing
- Well-balanced personal and managerial style
- Mature, professional approach to people and problems
- Computer proficiency (advanced user level)
General
- Office environment
- Full-time occupation
- Part-time job available
If you are interested in this vacancy, but you have questions, please, do not hesitate to ask them. I am always glad to help you. Also, please get familiar with our corporate website.
(website URL removed)
ATTENTION! Please do not reply to this email. If you are interested in this position, contact me directly:
JANE.ESHKOVA@COMPASSCORP.NET
Jane Eshkova,
HR Department,
Compass Group Corp
A few things jump out here are phishy. First, employers NEVER email you and offer you a job and salary up front. Interviews are always necessary. Second, the reply-to address was a "free" email account from the United Kingdom. In this case, emblem@excite.co.uk. Third, the email says to respond to JANE.ESHKOVA@COMPASSCORP.NET but the reply-to address is emblem@excite.co.uk. Fourth, the employer does not list a phone number. And finally, the email is very general in nature, trying to appeal to a wide audience and cast the widest net. "Level 1 project are very easy, and even a housewife can manage such projects."
Don't fall for fake job offers. If you ever want to validate a job offer and/or employer, use the Contact link at the bottom of this page to forward us inquiries you've received.
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| 11/27 - Validating Email Job Inquiries |
With all of the spam on the net, it can be difficult to weed though fake job offers and scams to find the legitimate inquiries. Here are some tips:
- Fake job offers often originate from overseas. These emails contain broken English, unrealistic salaries, and almost always ask you to respond to a free, public email account like Yahoo, Gmail, AOL, or Hotmail.
- Fake job offers often ask for unnecessary personal data like contact information, social security number, phone number, passwords, bank accounts, etc.
- Fake job offers often contain attached files, some of which can be dangerous to open.
- Fake job offers often "spoof" or pretend they are coming from ClearanceJobs.com when in fact they are not. When employers contact you, the reply-to address will never be from ClearanceJobs.com but rather directly from that employer's own work email account.
Registered employers on ClearanceJobs.com are all manually pre-screened. We only allow authorized government contractors and legitimate, recognized search firms in our system, and it's impossible to view resumes with a credit card.
If you receive contact from a potential employer and want to validate the contact person or their offer, forward the email to us by clicking the Contact link in the bottom footer of this page. We will help validate it for you immediately.
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| 11/19 - Online Security Tips |
Online data security is always important to ClearanceJobs. We would like to take a minute to remind you of some important tips:
- Keep your machine up to date with the latest security patches.
- Create a separate email specifically for job hunting, separate from your personal email account.
- Make sure you have an up-to-date anti-virus product installed and running on your machine.
- Avoid using a Social Security number on your resume.
- Don't provide any non-work related personal information over the phone or online. This includes your hair and eye color, marital status, etc.
- Leave references off of a publicly posted resume.
- Never provide credit card or bank account numbers or related information.
- Be cautious when dealing with contacts outside of your own country.
- Never give out your ClearanceJobs username or password to anyone.
Two great resources for keeping yourself (and your information) safe online can be found at:
http://www.fraud.org/tips/internet/phishing.htm
http://onguardonline.gov/stopthinkclick.html
Finally, here are some things ClearanceJobs does and doesn't do:
- We don't send out emails with executable or compressed (zipped) files, or attachments other than PDF and Word documents.
- We don't ask you for your personal financial information in an email, and never ask for credit card information to be sent via email.
- We don't ask you for your password via phone or email, ever. (You will only be required to enter your password when logging onto ClearanceJobs.com).
- We do electronically sign our email using recognized industry standards, to verify our identity and guard against spoofing.
ClearanceJobs understands the importance of online security and protecting the personal information of our users. At ClearanceJobs, we value your privacy and are committed to good privacy practices regarding your personal information. To this end, we have adopted a Privacy Policy that governs our use of your personal information. Click here to view our complete privacy policy.
Also, if you come across questionable job postings or activity on the ClearanceJobs site or if you are approached by someone seeking personal information of the type identified above, please let us know immediately at support@clearancejobs.com.
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