The Better Business Bureau (BBB) announced that its Scam Tracker has received reports of employment scams targeting college students by impersonating professors and university departments.
In one report, a student received an email offering a remote job opportunity. The student filled out a Google Form with confidential information, including photo copies of their Social Security card, driver’s license, and bank routing and account number. The scammer sent a fake check and instructed the student to Zelle a portion to another person.
To avoid employment scams:
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Research the hiring company to ensure it has a professional website and legitimate contact information, search for what others are saying about their experience with this company, and conduct an internet search with the employer’s name and the word “scam” to see if there are reports involving job scams.Â
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Beware of red flags such as emails with many typos and grammatical errors, job offers that come without an interview, and promise pay before the work begins.
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Examine the email address of those offering jobs to see if it matches the domain used by an actual company.
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Never send funds in cash, checks, gift cards, or wire transfers to a stranger — no legitimate company will ask for pay to obtain a job.Â
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Be very wary of positions more likely to be scams, such as mystery shopping/secret shopper positions or work-from-home jobs that involve receiving and reshipping packages.
