Avoid a One-Way Ticket to a Rip-Off

Friday, Mar 21, 2008

LITTLE ROCK – Most of us would welcome the opportunity to make a little extra money, especially if the job does not require an advanced degree or years of experience. Accordingly, when consumers read ads in the newspaper about exciting jobs requiring no experience and offering a high-salary, they are understandably tempted to pursue the position. However, these dream job opportunities are often just that, a dream. One such scam job offer has hit Arkansas recently, and today, Attorney General Dustin McDaniel issued this consumer alert to warn Arkansans about this particular scheme.


The Public Protection Department of the Attorney General's Office has received a few complaints recently from consumers who have responded to ads in Arkansas newspapers offering a high-paying job for a charter jet service based in Little Rock. In the ad, interested parties are directed to call a number, and after a couple of phone "interviews," the prospective employee is instructed to wire money to pay for half of a plane ticket to be used for an in-person interview. The scammer justifies the payment as a necessary precaution to guard against people getting a free plane ticket and not showing up for the interview. In reality, however, once the consumer wires the money, the plane ticket never comes, and the consumer never sees his money again.


"When it comes to 'too good to be true' employment ads, whether the task is stuffing envelopes or working for an unidentified airline, the eager employee-to-be usually ends up paying, rather than being paid," said McDaniel.

Here are some tips to remember to avoid falling for a dream job scam:

- Don't do business with any entity you do not know or trust. If you are unsure about a company, check its credentials by contacting the Better Business Bureau, http://www.bbb.org/, and the Attorney General's Office, http://www.arkansasag.gov/.
- Don't take a job that requires a payment up-front for a possible paycheck later. If you send the company money, you are unlikely to get any of it back.
- Never wire money to somebody you don't know.
- Always remember the old adage, "if something sounds too good to be true, then it probably is."

If you have been a victim of this scam or another job scam, you can contact the Public Protection Department of the Arkansas Attorney General's Office via email, oag@ArkansasAG.gov or by calling (800) 482-8982.