how can you be sure an employer is legit?

ehnde

I'd like advice in testing employer legitimacy when considering job offers. Some of the methods I use are

• check for the company in the Better Business Bureau
• check their nameserver records
• check for hyperlinks in email correspondence that say they link to one site but actually go to an entirely different domain e.g. microsoft.com but actually go to NigerianPrinces.org

But I still don't feel 100% confident sometimes...and it makes me nervous to give my SSN.

cyberguypr

If they are legit you can ask for the Federal tax ID. If you get the runaround... RUN.

ehnde

How/Where can you go to check the federal tax ID and make sure that it's valid?

Mojo_666

The best and only way IMO is to go and interview with them, look at their offices and meet the people.

earweed

I have my own tax ID so that's not really a good measure. They're easy to get.
Check online and research the company, not just the company's website.

ComicOzzie

First, unless they need to run a background check on you there's no reason for them to have your Social Security number. (Unless they've offered and you've accepted the job and you're filling out your I-9 and W-4 forms.)

A couple of things you can do is to go look them up in Dunn & Bradstreet to see if they have info. Contact your state's Secretary of States office website and look up their registration. I'd also go to a place like GoDaddy.com and see if the contact information for their website looks legit. (And how long have they had that address.)

forkvoid

cyberguypr wrote: »

If they are legit you can ask for the Federal tax ID. If you get the runaround... RUN.

Anyone can obtain a federal tax ID in about 30 seconds right from the IRS website.

OP: BBB. Online research. Get their office address and take a drive there to confirm they do exist there.

Don't give your social until you've been given the offer and it's time to make the relationship official.

eMeS

ehnde wrote: »

check for the company in the Better Business Bureau

The BBB is functioning much more like a protection racket these days, and was recently in trouble for that very behavior. Being a member of the BBB does not necessarily mean that the company is legit.

A couple of things. First, as mentioned, you can check that they have a D&B record. This is basically a credit report for businesses.

You can also check that they are registered to do business in the jurisdiction that they claim. However, this gets a little iffy, as it's easy to organize your business under one name, and then file a dba in a local jurisdiction under a completely different name.

I think one of the best ways is the most subjective. Talk to people that do or have worked there....

MS

Hypntick

If there is a website involved I usually do a whois on that. Not 100% certain but it gives you a rough idea of how long they've had the domain. BBB can be useful. One thing you can do is ask who their CEO is, then google them. Obviously not 100% but usually you can find a CEO and it'll show if they're attached to that company they claim to be from. Other than that, if you get a funny feeling, trust your gut.