Dispatch Pulls Job Ad After Consumer Complaint, Prompting BBB Warning

COLUMBUS, Ohio—In tough economic times, laid-off workers have to keep their guard up when a help wanted ad seems too good to be true.

Brian Green contacted NBC 4 after he saw a job advertisement in The Columbus Dispatch for a full-time position, paying more than $18 an hour, NBC 4‘s Patrick Preston reported.

Green said he found the warehouse job, which was advertised as being immediately available, too tempting to pass up, along with the paycheck of $18.50 an hour, full benefits, vacation time and 401K.

But when he and other readers of The Columbus Dispatch called the 800 number to apply, the catch appeared.

The person who answered the phone when NBC 4 called said, “First, there is a guaranteed placement fee of $195. This is the only fee charged and we do guarantee placement to you.“

The Better Business Bureau said job seekers should never pay cash to get a job and warns them to be cautious whenever a potential employer promises a high-paying job with little or no experience necessary or promises immediate, guaranteed openings for which you will be perfectly suited.

The Federal Trade Commission takes their advice a step further, saying job listings from 800 or 900 numbers are of special concern.

NBC 4 called the company to get answers on what the $195 fee guarantees job seekers, but was hung up on twice. After the second call, subsequent phone calls went straight into voicemail.

The company never returned the calls either.

You can report suspected job scams to the Better Business Bureau or the Federal Trade Commission. If the advertisement is in a newspaper or on a job Web site, try calling that company.

In the case of the classified ad that ran in Tuesday’s edition of The Columbus Dispatch, as well as on their Web site, the Dispatch has pulled the ad from both the newspaper and online listing.

The BBB said the job ad can be linked to a Florida company that they have been unable to reach.

A representative from the Dispatch said the paper’s policy is to verify the legitimacy of all classified ads before printing them. The paper receives more than 2,700 classified ads each month, and in this case, the Dispatch failed to review the 800 number linked to the ad before it printed.

For additional information, stay with nbc4i.com and NBC 4 and refresh nbc4i.com—Where Accuracy Matters.
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