During National Cyber Security Awareness Month, the WCC Information Technology Services (ITS) department is sharing messages to increase your security awareness. Today’s message is about recognizing fake job emails and texts. Watch for more tips coming weekly.
The Office of Information Technology Services (ITS) has been getting many reports of scam “job” emails that users are receiving. The subject of the email will be something like "Remote Part Time Opportunity" or "Virtual Assistant Opening." The most recent scam email was "Part-Time Job Offer." The email may be from an email you do not recognize. Occasionally it may come from a WCC email account which has been compromised.
These scam emails generally ask you to fill out an "application," where they collect your personal identification information. If you give them this information, they will often send a fraudulent check and ask you to send some money or buy items for specific individuals or accounts and keep the rest as your salary or fee. They will ask you to spend your money until the check clears. The fraudulent check will be rejected by the bank and you will lose any of your own money you used for their requests. If you have contacted these scammers, please delete these emails and cease any interaction with them.
Scammers advertise bogus jobs the same way legitimate employers do — through email,
social media and newspapers. They promise you a job, but what they want is your money
and your personal information. If you receive one of these job offers, feel free to
send it to [email protected] and we will review it and let you know if it is legitimate.
Here are some examples of job scams and tips to help you avoid them:
VIRTUAL PERSONAL ASSISTANT, PART-TIME
JOB OFFER, AND CAREGIVER JOB SCAMS
Scammers promote fake job ads through emails that look to be opportunities for individuals
at the college. If you apply, the person who hires you might send you a check. They
will tell you to keep part of the money for your services and then send the rest to
someone else. That is a scam. A legitimate employer will never ask you to do that.
The check is very likely fake. It can take weeks for a bank to discover this, but
once they do they will remove the amount of the check from your account. If you get
an offer that includes depositing a check and then using some of the money for any
reason, that is a scam. Walk away.
WORK-FROM-HOME JOB SCAMS
Scammers place ads, often online, claiming they have jobs where you can make thousands
of dollars each month working from home with little time or effort. The job could
be anything from reshipping products to selling things to people you know. Sometimes
the scammers try to get you interested by saying that you can be your own boss, start
your own business or set your own schedule.
But instead of making money, you end up paying for starter kits, training or certifications
that are useless. You might also find that your credit card is charged without your
permission, or you get caught up in a fake check scam. If someone offers you a job
and claims you can make a lot of money in a short period of time with little work,
that is likely a scam.
MYSTERY SHOPPER SCAMS
Getting paid to shop sounds like a dream job, especially if you are going to school
full-time or looking for a side job. But while some mystery shopping jobs are legitimate,
many are scams. Legitimate mystery shopping companies will not ask you to pay for
certifications, directories of jobs or job guarantees. If someone asks you to pay
to get a job, that is likely a scam. And if they want you to deposit a check and send
money back, that is definitely a sign of a fake check scam.
HOW TO AVOID A JOB SCAM
Before you accept a job offer, and certainly before you pay for one, take these steps
to protect yourself from job scams:
1. Do an online search. Look up the name of the company or the person who is hiring you, plus the words "scam,"
"review" or "complaint." You might find out they have scammed other people.
2. Look for signs of a scam. Strange requests, poor grammar/spelling and inconsistencies in email addresses or
URLs can be signs of a scam. For instance, in a "unicef employment" email that was
recently reported, it asks you to reply to an email address at "jobs-uncef.org," misspelling
UNICEF.
3. Talk to someone you trust. Describe the offer to them. What do they think? This also helps give you vital time
to think about the offer.
4. Never bank on a 'cleared' check. No legitimate potential employer will ever send you a check and then tell you to
send part of the money back, or buy gift cards with it. That is a fake check scam.
The fraudulent check will be rejected by the bank and you will lose any of your own
money you used to buy items.
5. If you are unsure if this is a legitimate job offer, send it to [email protected] and we will review it and let you know if it is legitimate.
WHAT TO DO IF YOU PAID A SCAMMER
No matter how you paid — debit card, credit card, check, bank or wire transfer, gift card or cash reload card — immediately contact the company you used to send the money, report the fraud and ask to have the transaction reversed, if possible.
Check out this video for more information.
If you have questions or need assistance, contact ITS at [email protected] or 734-973-3456.