Many college students seek flexible, part-time employment to help cover school expenses.
Finding a job can be challenging, and students may feel pressure to find work quickly. If this situation describes you or a student in your life, watch out for scams. BBB Scam Tracker has gotten reports of employment scams impersonating professors and university departments.
You receive an email to your school email address encouraging you to apply for a job. The message appears to come from your school’s job placement office, student services department or even a specific professor. The position, which may be anything from pet sitting to mystery shopping, sounds perfect for a college student. The work is easy, has flexible hours and offers excellent pay.
When you reply to the message, things start to get strange. The “employer” hires you without an interview. Then, they send you a check with instructions to deposit it before you’ve even done any work. You are instructed to use this money to purchase gift cards, money orders, prepaid debit cards or other supplies you’ll need for your new job. Part of what you purchase should be sent to your new employer. The rest of the money will be your payment.
However, the check is a fake. It can take weeks for your bank to discover the fraud. By then, any money you send is gone for good, and you’re stuck paying back the bank. In addition, the scammers now have your personal information.
In a recent BBB Scam Tracker report, a student received an email offering a remote job opportunity. The student filled out a Google form with their confidential information including photo copies of their Social Security Card, driver’s license, and bank routing and account numbers. The scammer sent a fake check and instructed the student to Zelle a portion to another person.
Here’s how to avoid employment scams.
• Do your research. Before you say yes to any job, research the company that wants to hire you. Does the company have a professional website and legitimate contact information? Search for what others are saying about their experience with this company. Do an internet search with the employer’s name and the word “scam” to see if there are reports involving job scams.
• Beware of red flags. Scammers often send emails with many typos and grammatical errors. They offer to hire you without an interview and even pay you before you’ve done any work. None of these are behaviors of a reputable business.
• Examine the email address of those offering jobs to see if it matches the domain used by an actual company. Be alert to Gmail business email addresses.
• Never send money to strangers. Never send funds in cash, checks, gift cards or wire transfers to someone you don’t know or haven’t met. No legitimate company will ask you to pay them to get a job.
• Be very wary of some positions. Some types of jobs are more likely to be scams, such as mystery shopping or secret shopper positions or work-from-home jobs that involve receiving and reshipping packages.
For more information on how to avoid employment scams, go to www.bbb.org/employmentscam or www.bbb.org/avoidscams.
Anyone who has been the victim of an employment scam can report it on www.bbb.org/ScamTracker. Information can help others to recognize suspicious behavior and stop scammers in their tracks.
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