Published: Saturday, 28 Mar 2009 | 11:24 AM ET

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With unemployment at its highest rate since 1983, it’s no wonder that so many people are scouring the web for work. Unfortunately, too many of them are falling into the hands of con artists.

The fraud of the hour? Scammers pretend to be a real company by advertising jobs online and then sending new hires big checks for being "accepted." Usually the job has something to do with how to make money by working from home (the first tip off that it's a scam). They then give the potential “employees” reason to wire a piece of that check back – only the victims are actually transferring their own money back to the thieves because the checks were fakes. And when those counterfeit checks bounce, innocent people are left holding the bag for thousands of dollars.

The scammers even recruit people to do their dirty work as so-called “payroll clerks.” The jobs may sound legitimate, but they’re really just part of the con. (NBC’s Chris Hansen follows the trail of this and other job scams on this Sunday’s Dateline at 7p ET on NBC.)

It’s really no surprise scammers are stepping up their game in this field, says jobs expert Jeff Taylor. Everyone must be vigilant and aware in this environment, he says. Recruiting sites and message boards are generally good about pulling down scams once they are discovered, the problem is that lately they’ve been popping up just as fast as they can be taken down.

Taylor’s advice: Watch out for people requesting things out of the ordinary – no companies should be asking for your mother’s maiden name, passwords of social security number in the application process. And no legitimate organization will ask for money up front in exchange for a job, either. People would also be doing themselves a favor by independently verifying companies they do business with online. Take the extra few minutes to look up the company’s number and ask them if they are really offering the service they say they are.

Go to wombatsecurity.com to learn more about how to combat phishing scams.

Watch ON THE MONEY weeknights at 10p ET

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