Job-seekers vulnerable to fraud

NAPERVILLE, Ill., Aug. 17 (UPI) -- When it comes to paying companies to help find a job, it's mostly buyer-beware, Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan said.

"Many employment services provide valuable help, but others misrepresent themselves and their services in an attempt to take your money," Madigan told The New York Times Monday.

It is a sign of the times. Victims of the recession, desperate for work, are vulnerable to the promises -- the sales pitches, that is -- of companies that imply they have an inside track on job listings or a special formula that guarantees a job, then charge large sums for tweaking a resume and providing a list of companies for their customers to call.

Kerry Fischman of Naperville, Ill., said fear and anxiety drove him to pay ITS Corp. $8,250 in December to help him find a job. In the end, he found a job on his own while the company, "was just giving me names and information," he said.

A promise of an inside track to unpublished jobs was never fulfilled, he said.

The company said complaints come from a small percentage of clients.