The Federal Trade Commission works closely with legal services providers and consumer advocates to root out frauds affecting communities across the nation. Several of our partners have told us about an income scam that’s targeting Latino organizations -- even churches. Here’s how it works:
You get a call. The scammer says he’s with a well-known airline and wants to hire people who speak Spanish to collect boarding passes, work at the ticket counter, or handle luggage. He says the jobs pay $18 an hour. To sweeten the deal, he promises to pay you $150 for every person you refer to him, and that people can use an Individual Tax Identification Number if that’s what they have.
Then, when the people contact him, he tells them to wire money – sometimes as much as $300 – to pay for a background check or uniforms. So people wire the money, but – you guessed it, there is no job. The whole story is a lie. And the people who wired the money? They’re out $300.
Scam artists are in business to cheat people. Here’s how to avoid some of the tricks they use:
- When you get a call from someone offering you a job, contact the company yourself to see if they’re really hiring -- even if you know and trust the person who calls you.
- Never wire money to someone you don’t know, no matter how compelling the reason.
- Don’t believe anyone who promises you a job. They’re lying. No one can promise you a job.
If someone you know was tricked into wiring money for a job that didn’t exist, report it to the money transfer company:
- MoneyGram: 1-800-666-3947 (1-800-955-7777 for Spanish) or at moneygram.com
- Western Union: 1-800-448-1492
Then, report it to the FTC at ftc.gov/complaint or at 1-877-FTC-HELP. Give as much or as little information as you are comfortable with. Any information helps investigators build cases against scammers.
To learn more about spotting an income scam, watch this video or visit ftc.gov/jobscams.
