Many college students find themselves needing employment income to offset the cost of going to school, and scammers know that. The FBI is warning students nationwide to be on the look-out for fake job postings and solicitations that offer easy money.

University of South Florida student Kathleen Tan says it’s frustrating to hear that students are being targeted, but she can see how they could be vulnerable.

“You see something like that and you’re like, ‘Oh, an easy job. Let me look into it,’" said Tan. "Then, when it ends up being a scam—terrible.”

Her friend USF student Eldin Cabreros agreed.

“I honestly think it’s really sad, ‘cause college students are struggling to pay their college tuition right now,” Cabreros said.

How the scam works

The FBI warning explains the tricky way scammers try to attract students with the fake job postings and solicitations.

The scammers target students by emailing them job-recruiting messages on their school accounts, or posting solicitations on college employment websites. When students respond, the scammers try to charge students an upfront fee for *supposed* training materials for the job.

The scam then involves sending a "check" to the prospective victim via email. The victim is prompted to deposit the check, then wire transfer a portion of the funds from the check to a "vendor" in order to pay for the supplies.

The check is, of course, counterfeit. So, victims end up on the hook for the funds sent to the fake “vendor.”

Tips to protect yourself

To protect yourself against this kind of scam, the FBI recommends you keep in mind the following:

  • Never accept a job that requires you to deposit a check upfront
  • Never wire transfer portions of funds from that check to other individuals
  • Look for poor use of the English language in emails, such as incorrect grammar and improper capitalizations or verb tenses; as many of the people who send these emails are not native English speakers.

College students who receive suspicious-looking job solicitations via email should immediately forward the suspect message to their college's IT department and report the message to the FBI.

Stay vigilant

Tan and her friends are responding to the threat by keeping their guard up and doing what they can to keep other students informed and protected.

“I’m definitely on the look out for this. I’m definitely telling all my friends about this, because I don’t want them to fall victim to this.”

Luckily, Tan doesn’t know anyone who’s been ripped off, and she hopes to keep it that way.

If you’re a victim of this scam or any other Internet-related scam, you can file a complaint with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.IC3.gov  and notify your campus police.

Helpful links:

FBI Public Service Announcement on employment scam targeting college students: https://www.ic3.gov/media/2017/170118.aspx