Nice Resume, I'd Prefer Your SS#

Keeping scam artists from stealing your personal information

It is hard work looking for a job, Matt Sawyer said.

"Well with the economy being down right now, it's pretty hard," said Sawyer. 

Like most job hunters, Matt is posting his resume on various online job sites.  But you have to be careful when sending out your personal information over the Internet, privacy expert Pam Dixon said.

"The problem is, if you don't use it correctly, it can come back to haunt you," she said.

Dixon runs the World Privacy Forum and warns job hunters to be cautious with their personal information when posting their resume. 

"In fact any competent job site will give you the option of hiding your personal information," said Dixon.

Scam artists have been known to steal personal information from resumes and use it to apply for credit.  That is why Dixon said you should only include your first initial and last name, no full names, when writing your resume.  She also said not to include your phone number or address.  Dixon said you should create an email address that is temporary and just use it for your job search.

Dixon said scam artist will even call people from their resume and ask for detailed information like a copy of their driver's license or social security number or even their credit card information.  The scammers will claim it's for a background check but it's only to steal from the job seeker.

Matt admits if he was approached for a job he might give away too much information. 

"I think when people first get that call and they're real excited about it, they might just jump into it and go ahead and do it," he said.

For more information turn to: www.worldprivacyforum.com

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