Open letter to CareerBuilder.com...

This morning I wrote this short letter to Career Builder. It speaks for itself.

As a frequent user of your service there is only one thing that I would like to bring to your attention and it is so important I am taking time out of my vigorous job search to help you help me and all of your other clients to have a better experience. I get email updates everyday which is good. However, it seems that lately I've been getting a lot more hooks for "work at home"/"get rich quick scams." Particularly today over half of the entries in the "job alert" mail I received fit the description of "common scams." In times like these it is really crass for these companies to prey on the weak and desperate job seekers just looking to support their families. By extension it is very crass of you to help these scam artists to reach so many potential marks. It degrades your brand and it will surely frustrate many customers. And above that it is only serving to extend this poor economic climate. While I have no problem with legitimate work at home opportunities I do have a big problem with the scams, especially the well known ones that really should be filtered out of your lists. So please help yourselves and all of us job seekers out by not allowing these vultures access to your service.

Sincerely,
A frustrated job seeker.

I consider myself to be a paranoid cynic but in just the right amount. "A little paranoia can save your a$$ from a great many fires, but too much and you will live in a very cold world." -anonymous.

For what it's worth "work at home" scams are nothing new. However, the potential audience is now much greater since the web era started and people have come to rely on ubiquitous connection to the world from the comfort of pretty much anywhere. It seems to me that this is one of the worst aspects of the net.
The problem with hooks like these is not that everybody will fall for them or even most, it's the fact that some will and do everyday. The sheer fact that these bottom-feeders can spread their lies over the internet, collect money from well intentioned people, and are almost never caught is reason enough to always remember that the web is a great place for snakes and con-artists to ply their trade. The maxim I have for anything I read on the net is that it is more than likely BS if I can not corroborate it through multiple sources. And our grandmothers' maxim on the world at large of "if it is too good to be true, then it probably is" is always a good thought to keep in mind, especially on the net of today.