Question: I recently had an interview with a career-services firm that wants me to pay $6,000 up front. I can't find much information about this firm, and it won't provide references. How I can do further research on this firm?

-- Bud, Washington, D.C.

Bud: I'm glad you asked me this question before you paid the fee. I often receive letters from job hunters who have paid large sums of money upfront to career-services firms but after a month or two of counseling, still have not received what they were expecting. These readers are unhappy with the services and write to me asking how they can get their money back. Unfortunately, some never do.

People often are at their most vulnerable when they are unemployed and scared they won't find new work. They are particularly susceptible to the pitches of some career-services or career-marketing firms that promise to help connect them with the "hidden" job market or opportunities that haven't yet been advertised. The catch is that job seekers must pay large sums of money up front and sign multi-page agreements before they receive any assistance.

Some of these companies have earned a bad reputation in the U.S. in recent decades for not providing customers with what they were promised and not returning customers' payments. After complaints mounted, law-enforcement officials in certain states required several firms to give refunds, cease operations or change some of their more deceptive sales practices. Some companies, however, have been known to simply shut down and reopen under new names in new locations.

You are right to ask for references. But as you found, prospective clients who want to talk to past customers may be told that names and phone numbers of former customers can't be disclosed due to client-confidentiality restrictions. The sales person might then produce a binder of testimonial letters written by satisfied customers for prospects like you to review. These letters typically are solicited during the first month or so of new clients receiving assistance from a career counselor, when they are most upbeat and satisfied.

If you decide to sign on with such a firm, it's likely that you will receive career assistance, probably from a qualified and well-intentioned career counselor who will meet with you, help you to revise your resume, test your suitability for various careers, offer interview instruction and so on. However, many career-marketing firms maintain an "iron curtain" between their sales and career-counseling staff, so the career counselors typically don't know what clients have been promised during the high-pressure sales pitches. Any career counselor worth his or her salt will tell you that no one can connect you with the "hidden job market." Career advisers can help you improve your job-search technique and materials, but the only person who can find out about openings and talk with hiring managers effectively is you.

Many clients who realize this hard truth -- that they won't receive the "connections" they were promised -- ask for their money back. They then learn that because of some fine print or technicality in the contract that they didn't bother to read, they won't get a refund.

Keep trying to learn more about this company before paying the $6,000 fee. A good place to start is your local Better Business Bureau; ask if it has received any complaints about the company. Next, contact your state Attorney General's office and ask the same thing. If the company has operated in your area for a while under its present name, something may turn up.

Also use the name of the company to search for information via Google, Yahoo or another Internet-search engine. A helpful resource linking to articles and sites about career-marketing firms and practices is www.rileyguide.com/scams.html.

Margaret Riley, who has run The Riley Guide, a site providing free career and employment information, since 1994, notes the four telltale signs that you may be dealing with a disreputable career-marketing firm:

1. It claims to have access to the hidden job market.
2. It offers only one package of services and charges only one price.
3. It needs your decision -- and your payment -- right now.
4. The career-marketing company contacted you after finding your resume online.

For the most part, you can duplicate at far less cost most of the services that a career-marketing firm might offer. There are plenty of free and low-cost resources available to help job seekers on the Internet, through state work-force assistance or local church and community programs. If you need counseling assistance, seek a referral to a professional who charges by the hour and who will supply names and phone numbers of satisfied customers for you to check.