Fake USPS job-placement services fail to deliver
- Kim Thompson: Better Business Bureau
- March 9, 2021
- 1281
Shipping delays continue to slow down packages and mail across the country. To reduce the backlog of mail, the United States Postal Service is hiring approximately 10,000 new employees, according to NPR. For job seekers, working for the USPS offers stability, good pay and benefits, so many are looking to increase their chances of getting hired through online job-placement services.
BBB warns job seekers to beware of services that claim they can help you get hired at the USPS. Although they advertise training resources for the written exam and interview process, they actually charge job seekers for freely available information.
Job seekers search online for local USPS job openings. Among the search results are multiple websites advertising study materials, personal coaching sessions and insider information to help them get hired. To appear trustworthy, the service even indicates it offers refunds to job seekers who fail to make it past the written exam portion of the USPS hiring process.
One Maryland consumer paid $46.95 to access the resources provided by one such service. She told BBB, “The ‘inside information’ they advertise to supply you with is nothing more than common knowledge and in no way increases your chances of being hired with the post office. (It’s) just page after page after page of reading material that is in no way worth $46.95. Don't make the same mistake I made. Keep your money where it is. Save your valuable time and effort.”
Many job seekers are experiencing long-term unemployment due to the pandemic. To them, paying for the opportunity to increase their chances of landing a stable career may seem like a valuable investment in their future. Unfortunately, these services exploit job seekers by offering insider information they don’t have.
Never pay to access job listings or to apply for a job. Information and applications for federal and postal jobs are always accessible for free.
Proceed with caution if a job-placement service charges you a fee. Most reliable job-placement services charge a fee to businesses rather than job seekers.
Aptitude tests don’t measure your knowledge. Instead, they measure your ability to perform the job, so study guides may not be as beneficial as they seem.
You may not get the job, even if you do well on the written test. These services make money by claiming they can increase your test score, but you need more than a good test score to get the job.
Visit www.USPS.com/employment to verify if you’ve encountered a legitimate opportunity. Some shady services advertise job openings just so they can sell you an unnecessary study guide.
Read BBB Tip: Employment Scams to learn more about common employment scams. You can find this at www.bbb.org/article/tips/12261-bbb-tip-employment-scams.
If you encounter a misleading job-placement service, make others aware by filing a report with www.BBB.org/ScamTracker.
Visit www.bbb.org/canton or call 330-454-9401 to look up a business, file a complaint, write a customer review, read tips, follow on social media and more.