Scams Aimed at College Students: Part 3: Job Hunters Become the Hunted

Submitted by Nathaniel Smith

Maybe you need  a job while you are still in school, or maybe you just graduated and you are looking for your first job, or maybe you’ve been out of school for a while and want a new job. Whatever the reason that you are searching, beware! Not everything is what it seems!

Scammers who prey on job hunters can make BIG BUCKS. They offer jobs with salaries that are "too-good-to-be-true" to lure you in. This is an attempt to steal your money or your personal information.

Scenario 1: Believe it or not, there are ”job offers” that require you to pay some kind of fee up-front, for one reason or another. One reason might be for a ”background check, another one could be for equipment or training. Never pay an upfront-fee to someone you do not really know.

Scenario 2: You’ve decided to hire a headhunter for help, so you find someone on Craigslist. Be careful! Check the company out with the BBB first, at bbb.org. Some scammers act like headhunters, pretending to help you find that perfect job, then they run with your money. A legitimate company often doesn not charge a job seeker for help finding a job, but instead is paid by the company that needs help filling the position.

Scenario 3: You posted your resume on a job posting website, and you receive an email about a great "job opportunity." The spam e-mail links directly to a website that installs malware on your computer. The link may take you to a website that asks for your personal information (usually your Social Security or back account numbers). Others may ask you to submit your resume, tell you that you’re hired, and then ask for your personal infomration. Let’s be clear: Legitimate employers may ask for your SSN for tax purposes and your bank account to deposit your check, but that’s after you’re hired and have started working for the company. You should be careful when you respond to unsolicited emails from ”employers” and DO NOT click links in the email until you have carefully vetted the company and know for sure that the email came from a legitimate source. 

With all that said, happy job hunting! May the hunt be good and the job offers plentiful.

Do you have any questions or concerns? Anything to contribute to the conversation? Feel free to leave a comment!