With a local unemployment rate of 11.5 percent, many employed county residents concerned about their jobs, hours being cut and nest eggs quickly dwindling, employment scams are becoming more and more prominent, according to the Lee County Sheriff’s Office.

The office’s fraud line is receiving calls about from the work-at-home scams to the mystery shopper scams and the employment placement scams.

Residents can avoid falling for employment scams by doing a little research before applying for the job or agreeing to work for the “company.”

– Consult the Better Business Bureau and the Federal Trade Commission to see if they have received any complaints.

– Confirm they are licensed with the state they claim to be out of. If you can not find them in that state and are still interested ask them where they are licensed to do business then verify this information yourself.

– Avoid jobs that require you to pay any money up front – this is usually a warning that the job may not be legitimate.

– Avoid jobs guarantying high wages in a short time and require little to no experience.

– Avoid all envelope stuffing jobs. There are machines that do this.

The bottom line is, “If it sounds too good to be true, it is” and avoid it. If you are still in doubt call the Lee County Sheriff’s Office Fraud Line at 239-477-1242.