The convenience of posting a resume online with an online employment service is tremendous. In addition to the convenience, you get the advantage of having your resume available to a large number of prospective employers. Unfortunately, your resume may also be available to a large number of scammers.

A common scam occurs when someone posing as a job recruiter for a legitimate company contacts you. He tells you that he’s impressed with your resume, but that before the company can schedule an interview with you, it needs to do a background check on you. To do that, it needs some personal identifying information from you, including your Social Security number.

Your Social Security number is the key to identity theft in the hands of a scammer. You should never provide your Social Security number or other sensitive information to a recruiter or employer until you’ve met with him in person at his office during normal working hours. Personally meeting someone in this way can help you confirm that she works for a legitimate company. You can also check out the legitimacy of a prospective employer through the Better Business Bureau.

Never provide information in an online resume that can be manipulated into identity theft. Don’t list your Social Security number, your birth date, your home address, or your telephone number. Even as to your name, it’s prudent to use only your first initial and your last name.