BBB CONSUMER TIP: Employment scams target college students

Many college students seek flexible, part-time employment to help cover school expenses. Finding a job can be challenging and students may feel pressured to find work quickly. If this situation describes you or a student in your life, beware of scams. The BBB Scam Tracker has received reports of employment scams impersonating university professors and departments.

How job scams work

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 employment office, student services department, or even a specific professor. The position, which can 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 weird. The “employer” hires you without an interview. They then send you a check with instructions to deposit it before you’ve done any work. You are directed to use this money to purchase gift cards, money orders, prepaid debit cards, or other supplies you will need for your new job. A portion of what you buy should be sent to your new employer. The rest of the money will be your payment.

However, the check is fake. It may take weeks for your bank to detect the fraud. By then, any money you send to your “employer” is gone forever, and you’re stuck paying it back to the bank. Besides, scammers now have your personal information.

One student reported this experience: “I received a message through my school email about a job opportunity with a professor. I contacted the number and was asked for my resume and a non-school email. When I inquired about the position, I was told that the school would to pay my expenses and get materials from them. I was asked what bank I used and if I could deposit checks into my account. The person said it was the professor. However, when I contacted the professor in person, he said that he was not looking for a research assistant and that I must be dealing with fraudsters.”

Unfortunately, not all students who reported this scam to the BBB Scam Tracker avoided losing money. Another student complained: “I got a job offer from what I thought was my school. They sent me two checks for $1,650. I cashed out as instructed and bought Bitcoin for the ’employer’ and sent him a receipt. The next day, the checks bounced and overdrawn my account.”

How to avoid employment scams

• So your search. Before you say yes to a job, research the company that wants to hire you. Does the company have a professional website and legitimate contact information? Find out what others are saying about their experience with this company. Do an online search of the employer’s name and the word “fraud” to see if there are any reports involving employment fraud.

• Watch out for red flags. Scammers often send emails with lots of typos and grammatical errors. They offer to hire you without an interview and even pay you before you do any work. None of these are the behaviors of a reputable business.

• Check the email address from those offering work to see if it matches the domain used by an actual company. Be wary of Gmail business email addresses.

• Never send money to strangers. Never send funds in cash, checks, gift cards or wire transfers to someone you do not know or have not met. No legitimate company will ask you to pay them to get a job.

• Be very careful of some positions. Certain types of jobs are more likely to be scams, such as mystery shopping or mystery shopper positions or work-from-home jobs that involve receiving and returning packages.

To learn more about how to avoid employment scams, visit BBB.org/EmploymentScam. You can also find valuable information at BBB.org/AvoidScams. If you’ve been the victim of an employment scam, report it at BBB.org/ScamTracker. Your experience can help others recognize suspicious behavior and stop scammers in their tracks.