Beware! Scam Employment Offers

Fraudulent emails offers are on the rise and now is a good time to learn how to recognize and avoid becoming a victim to a scam.  If you are invited to apply for work from an unsolicited email you should STOP and check to make sure the request is not coming from scammers.  Scammers use email or text messages to trick you into giving them your personal information.  They use logos and information to make you think they are legitimate. Scams can vary widely, below are a few suggestions to help you avoid some common ones:

• Remember, if it’s too good to be true, it probably is.
• Do not pay money up front.
• Do not accept payment for services you have not provided for example as a “pre-payment” of expected services.
• Be cautious of people who are unwilling or unable to meet in person.
• Be cautious of job postings or emails written with poor grammar, lack of sentence structure, text in all caps or bold.
• Be wary of job offers from strangers.  If you have not applied for the position or interviewed for the position, it is likely a scam.

Contact Career Services to find out if you employment offer is valid. For more information on how to avoid phishing scams visit the Federal Trade Commission Consumer Advice.