Avoiding Employment Scams

If something feels “too good to be true,” be suspicious. If an employer is making promises that no other employer has ever made before, it’s possible that they want to lure you in to steal your resume information or scam you. Be suspicious of job postings that do not mention the responsibilities of the job and instead focus only on the money to be made. Do not respond to unsolicited, suspicious job emails.

Never cash a check for, or give any money to, an employer. A common technique of Internet scammers is to ask you to cash a check at a bank, and then return some of that money to the employer while you get to keep some of the cash for yourself. This is a scam. Reputable employers don’t require you to pay for anything on your own, or cash a check on their behalf, before starting your job.

Do not provide an employer you don’t know with any personal financial documentation. An employer should not ask for your bank account number or credit card number by email or in a job posting.

Make sure the representative’s contact information matches the organization’s contact information. A job posting may appear to be from a reputable, familiar company, but if the domain in the contact’s email address does not match the domain used by real representatives of the company (which is typically easy to determine from the company’s website), the job posting may be a scam.

A legitimate employer won’t visit your class without pre-arranging it with your instructor. We don’t send employers to visit courses without making specific plans with the instructor.

Question if an employer says they’re hiring you based on resume alone. Any reputable employer normally requires an interview (and more) before hiring.

Flag the employer in Handshake. If you encountered a suspicious job posting or employer in Handshake, flag the employer in Handshake and Handshake will investigate.

If you think you may have encountered an employment scam, cease all contact with the employer. You may also want to:

  1. Report the fraudulent employer to UAPD, who may choose to conduct an investigation. Here is the non-emergency number: 520-621-8273
  2. Contact your bank, if you have sent or received any money to/from the fraudulent employer, contact your bank or credit card company to protect the account and dispute any charges.
  3. File a complaint with the FTC: They can report the job scam to the Federal Trade Commission, the nation’s consumer protection agency, which collects complaints about companies, business practices, and identity theft. You can do this here.
  4. If you need to talk to a lawyer: There are legal services for students at the UA.

If you need guidance or have questions, contact Student Engagement & Career Development. We can help you research the employment opportunity.

By Brittney Crawford
Brittney Crawford Program Manager, Digital Career Education Initiatives