Connecticut Department of Labor Warning Residents of New Scam Targeting Job Seekers

HARTFORD – The state’s Department of Labor is warning residents of a new scam that’s targeting job seekers. Criminals are soliciting banking and other information by calling residents and claiming to be an employer registered with CTHires, the state’s job bank.

The attempts to steal personal data include callers asking for Social Security, bank account, and credit card numbers as well as telling residents they must pay a fee to have their application reviewed for employment. The agency recommends that all unemployment filers, CTHires users, and job seekers stay vigilant about this and other scams targeting residents.

According to the CTDOL, here are tips to avoid being a victim:

• Red flag: You are asked to pay a fee to apply for a job or be considered for a job.
• Red flag: You are asked to give your Social Security number, bank account number or credit card details over the phone to complete your application.
• Red flag: Urgency. The caller tells you they need to collect your information, or you’ll lose a job opportunity. 
• If an employer contacts you, always independently verify the company—do not release any personal information until you do. We recommend contacting your local American Job Center if anything seems out of the ordinary with a CTHires employer.
• Check out the employer’s website. You are looking for spelling errors, poor sentence construction, and missing contact information or questionable email addresses.
• Use the company contact information provided on the website to call the main desk and be transferred to human resources or the hiring manager.
• Do not click on links in emails or texts unless you are confident that the sender is legitimate.
• Trust your intuition and investigate further if anything seems suspicious.

If you think you may be a victim of this or other scams, please visit the CTDOL fraud watch page.