My name is Mrs. Ashley Jones. My husband Collins is a Captain of a cruise ship and I have a daughter Angela. We live in a big apartment and I am in need of a babysitter who would also help me out with buying groceries. We are willing to pay $19 per hour and I would like to know the hours you would be available.
Nineteen dollars an hour seems like a lot of money to many people, especially to young babysitters or nannies! Online scams like the one above, which was posted on Craigslist, offer an attractive working situation and high wage, even providing a cheque for the sitter's first few weeks of pay. However, the con artist 'accidentally' sends a larger sum and asks the applicant to mail back the difference. The problem: the offer and the cheque are fake, leaving the wannabe childcare provider out of hundreds or thousands of dollars.
Last summer, a Michigan teen was duped by a man posing as a parent on the popular childcare site Care.com. The man offered her a babysitting job that paid $600 a week, but sent her a cheque for $2,000 and asked her to send him the difference. While Christie Spudowski initially believe it was an honest mistake, she showed her parents the cheque, and they contacted police, who confirmed that several people had been contacted by the man in attempts to swindle money.
“Sometimes, when someone is looking for a job that pays well and looks good, they may want it so badly, they overlook things,” says Susan Tokayer, the co-president of the International Nanny Association, a non-profit nanny industry association that serves nannies, parents, educators, agencies and industry service providers.
No employer should ever ask a potential employee to cash a cheque before they've even met. Nor should they ask personal questions during an interview, or for info such as a social security or social insurance number or a driver's license number. Of course, once a nanny or babysitter is hired they will have to provide some info to an employer, but it's a red flag if anyone asks so early on in the process.
Babysitting Jobs On Craigslist
We've become so used to doing almost everything online: socializing, banking, and shopping, and we may not think enough about what our kids are doing when they're on the Internet. This includes using online classifieds sites like Craigslist and Kijiji to find babysitting or nannying jobs, which pose a number of risks to kids.
“On these free ad websites, there is no age verification procedure in place, which means kids can and do use it without any supervision,” says Samantha Wilson, founder and president of Kidproof. “Many teens post babysitting ads offering their babysitting services on these sites. As innocent as posting a babysitting ad online may seem, the reality is that advertising your services on the Internet, whether as a babysitter, lawn cutter, dog walker or any other odd job kids do, opens the door to a number of very serious dangers.”
Pre-teens and teens should also never answer ads from parents on Craigslist or meet anyone from the site without asking permission from parents first. In 2007, a 19-year-old Minnesota man posted a fake ad seeking a babysitter on Craigslist and lured a young woman to his home, where he shot her in the back, killing her. Katherine Ann Olson, 24, had answered several Craigslist nannying jobs in the past.
So...How Can Kids Find Babysitting and Nannying Jobs?
“There are many different ways to find a job,” says Tokayer. “There are agencies, online searches, and word-of-mouth. You're most vulnerable connecting online, while word-of-mouth tends to be safer.”
Kids who are ready to start their own babysitting business need to understand the importance of only using word-of-mouth to get jobs. Parents can tell friends and co-workers, and kids can tell their friends who already babysit that they can be a back-up sitter for them.
“I can't stress enough the importance of babysitting for someone that you know or has been referred to you by someone that you trust,” says Wilson. “Never, ever advertise for a babysitting job. Do not put a notice up at a grocery store, school newsletter, or community center. You should never accept a job from someone that you do not know.”
Kidproof's Babysitting Training Program can help children learn how to become competent babysitters and build a safe, successful babysitting business.
Tokayer's tips for job seekers:
*Get references from the family. If they've had a previous nanny, ask to speak to them.
*Ask detailed questions about the kids, such as what they like to do and if they have any health issues. “Parents speak about their kids in a certain way,” says Tokayer. “They shouldn't have to think about it or hesitate.”
*Consider using an agency. In most cases, there is no charge for using an agency to find a job, and they will take care of screening clients and finding you suitable placements.
*Don't take a job unless you've met the family in person.
Remember one of Kidproof's key points when it comes to family safety: Trust your intuition! When you're child is speaking to a parent seeking a sitter, they need to listen carefully not only to what they say, but to what they don't say. “Be aware of any questions that seem odd,” says Tokayer. “Even if you're not sure if it's odd, if something makes you hesitate or you're not sure, check in with your own feelings.”
Find out more about trusting your instincts in Samantha Wilson's book Safe Kids, Safe Families.
By Erin Stringer
