Ads for au-pair and babysitting jobs have been proven to be extremely hazardous Internet scams of late. Advertisements are listed on various media offering these positions, almost always overseas. Good wages, air fare, and other enticements are offered.
The advertisements usually contain a contact phone number and request for a resume. However, keep in mind that you should withhold your resume until you can schedule an appointment, to avoid sending this sensitive document to people you should’t. It can, sometimes, be just another way of getting the information needed for identity theft.
The people who conduct the interview are often well dressed, well spoken and seem like educated individuals who offer a fun job with high pay, benefits and lots of time off to explore the new countryl The demographic they go for are attractive women who don’t have close ties with family.
If one questions why they do not hire someone from their own country, their usual response is that they want someone more fluent in another language to help their children. It may or may not be the case. These interviews give a good opportunity for the prospective employee to pose questions that encompass all aspects of the job in addition to answering personal questions. Decline the job if they seem reticent to answer questions about the job that you may have.
Many of these overseas jobs attract young women looking for travel and excitement. When they arrive they sometimes find sordid conditions and are, virtually, slaves to families. In extreme situations they have even been sold into white slavery.
Once the woman reaches the other country, she is alone with little money and few resources and at the mercy of the employer. For this reason it is extremely important the people offering the employment be thoroughly investigated. That is why it’s important to use telephone look-up services to verify if the caller is really whom he or she says.
Another scam with babysitting and Au-Pair job offers is to ask for money for the airfare. They are often told that this is because the employer has certain contacts that will make it easier for the employee to gain admittance into the foreign country. Then the scammer disappears with all the money.
If the individual who is to be employed is inclined to take the position should inform someone of the details so that they situation can be investigated if they are not heard from for a while. Once you get to the foreign country, contact the embassy of your country before you meet your employers, so they know that you exist and are there. It is crucial to be careful in the extreme especially when in another country.