If you will be seeing college-aged relatives during the holidays, please warn them about variations of the “job interview” scam reported to us by students seeking summer jobs or long-term employment. And warn your HR staff that scammers may misuse your company name as part of a scheme.
Virtual work scams are nothing new, but they have taken a personal and persuasive turn. College students report being contacted on social media platforms by people claiming to be recruiters for Wall Street firms, national retailers, technology companies and other attractive workplaces. The speech was very convincing. The “recruiter” may claim to be associated with the college and say that the dean or professor has recommended the student as a top talent for the company’s prestigious management program.Or the person might say they‘As alumni, the conversation will feature faculty and staff names, campus landmarks and memories of their days at the outstanding Insert School.
What follows is a series of online interviews “senior executive” Make a call from the impressive conference room.Next is “Career Opportunities” On official documents with company logo. Once the elated candidate accepts, the usual “human resources paperwork” arrives, asking the student for a Social Security number, bank account or driver’s license information or other personal data. In some cases, a recruiter may send a generous check as a “signing bonus,” but need to send a portion of the cash to someone else, perhaps to cover the cost of a company phone or laptop.
What on earth happened? It turned out that the “recruiter” was an identity thief who used fake conference room backgrounds, cut-and-paste logos, and publicly available facts (dean’s name, famous professors, school traditions, etc.) to recruit. Attempting to steal personal information or commit fake check fraud.
What advice can you give students to avoid fake employment offers?
- First check the recruiter’s “letters of recommendation.” If the recruiter uses the name of someone at your school, please contact that faculty member directly before further contact. If this story isn’t proven, it’s a hoax. Do your classmates a favor by alerting your college career services office.
- Double check the recruiter’s email address. Company executives send emails from a company account, not from @gmail.com or other personal addresses. Of course, imposters have been known to hack into corporate email systems. An address that looks legitimate doesn’t guarantee it’s a genuine transaction, but messages coming from a personal account is a strong indication it’s a scam.
- If you are asked for personal information, pump the brakes. If the conversation turns to bank account details, driver’s license numbers, etc., stop the conversation. Contact the company at a real phone number you know (not the number the recruiter gave you) and double-check that the job opportunity is genuine.
- Report your experience to the Federal Trade Commission. If a student you know encounters a scammer, please tell us at reportfraud.ftc.gov.
Also, make sure your HR professionals are aware of this scam and are prepared to deal with students‘ Check to see if your business name is being misused.
