Tough economic times bring out the worst in some people. The shysters, slicks, and hustlers come out of the woodwork.

So beware of answering "job" ads that ask you for money, information, and credit card numbers. This is exactly what happened when a friend of mine followed up on an ad on one of the major job websites. The job was for a pharmaceutical sales rep. When she called the number, the person on the other end responded with a pitch to send money for an "application," and send extra money for "shipping and handling." Then they asked for a credit card number. At that point, my friend terminated the call.

There were no typical screening questions for a job interview. And there was the sound of a few dozen other people, sitting in cubicles no doubt, running the same angle.

In short, the "job opportunity" sounded like a telemarketing scheme. It  sounded pretty shady. Even if it were on the up and up, would you really want to work for a company that recruited people this way?

The bottom line: Don't pay money to apply for a job. Legit firms don't work that way. And by no means should you ever be giving people your credit card information over the phone for stuff like this.  We've been talking about the right way to look for work, and this ain't it.