With Colorado’s unemployment rate up, more folks are looking for work. Also on the rise are employment-related scams and fraudulent job listings, reports Colorado Attorney General John Suthers in a consumer advisory.Two common rackets involve payment processing and mystery shopping, often advertised on Web sites like Craigslist. Job-seekers can protect themselves by understanding how these hoaxes work, experts say.Payment processing scams involve an overseas company that claims to need an American representative to transfer money. They usually end with a fake check that overdraws the victim’s account.In another hoax, job-seekers are offered a position posing as a mystery shopper, visiting stores, restaurants or hotels to evaluate the experience.Many legitimate companies do offer mystery shopping services, however. J.C. & Associates, a Colorado Springs company, has been hiring mystery shoppers for 10 years. President  Jason Rivera says reputable companies never charge an application fee. And as for the promise of big bucks: “It’s a misconception that you make a ton of money,” he said.

Angela Gainer and her dog, Bodhi, stopped for a sample of some produce grown by Steve and Randi Hitchcock on June 15, the first day of the Homegrown on Tejon market. Photo by JERILEE BENNETT, THE GAZETTE