In October, Tom Greene was invited by email to interview for a vice president position he had applied for through CareerBuilder.com. Before accepting, the sales and marketing executive called the search firm that posted the ad to ensure it was indeed a job opportunity.

Mr. Greene didn't want a repeat of two years ago, when he agreed to an interview in the same circumstances only to find there was no position available. Instead, he had received a pitch from a career-marketing service costing up to $10,000, starting with a $6,000 upfront fee.

Tim FoleyThis time, the 53-year-old was assured by phone that the job was real and he wouldn't be asked to dig into his wallet. But after driving a half-hour from his home in Colonia, N.J., to meet the firm's recruiters, he says he found himself once again listening to a pitch for a career service, without any prospect of a job. More here.