Desperate students entering the job market are the latest victims of scams, with fake job recruiters promising lucrative careers that fool them.
The latest trick involves scammers approaching job seekers with promises of well-paid work. The scammers even pose as professors or have a connection with the university, authorities warn.
They then trick the student into accepting a check, which bounces, but not before the fraudsters gain access to the victim’s bank account so they can make work with their money.
“I’m ashamed,” TikToker, D. Cain said in a video describing how he became a victim. ‘It happened to me. It could happen to you.’
Desperate students entering the job market are the latest victims of scams, with fake job recruiters promising lucrative careers that fool them. The scam has grown so much that numerous videos on social media discuss the problem or describe how they fell victim
The scams have become so common that the Federal Trade Commission has issued warnings about them.
The scams have become so common that the Federal Trade Commission has issued warnings about them.
In its statement, the FTC noted that scammers can send “emails that look like they are from someone in your community, such as a professor or an office at your university.”
The FTC further outlined how the scam worked: “When you sign up, they send you a check to deposit at your bank. Then they ask you to send some of the money to another account.
“They tell you a convincing story, but the check is counterfeit and the whole thing is a scam. The check will eventually bounce and the bank will want you to pay back the money you withdrew. In the meantime, the scammer will have made off with the money you sent him.”
The FTC’s dismal report on the scam reflects the experiences of many college students and graduates who have been successfully duped by the fake recruiters.
Cody Querubin, a senior at George Mason University, received an email to his student account in February about a data analyst internship.
The sender’s address was careers@veollawatertech.com. There is a legitimate company name Veolia Water Technologies & Solutions, which the scammers wanted to impersonate.
After expressing interest, Querubin participated in an interview in Microsoft Teams. But he didn’t see the recruiter’s face and the interview took place via chat, something that Querubin admits in retrospect was a warning sign.
Recent graduates are desperate for a job, making them particularly susceptible to scams
As the job market tightens – already tougher than last year – new graduates are desperate for work and are lowering their guard
After completing the interview, the college senior was offered a remote job and given a check to pay for a work laptop and business software.
The next day, he was instructed to send the money to a merchant via Apple Pay or Zelle. Queubin realized something was wrong and alerted his bank, but it was too late. The check bounced and he lost $1,745.
“I was really frustrated and just angry,” Querubin told the newspaper Wall Street Journal.
Erin McGoff, a popular TikToker, posted a video to her account to raise awareness about the pervasiveness of job recruitment scams.
In the video, McGoff smiles as words appear on the screen that say, “A recruiter is reaching out about a job, yay!”
The text then reads: ‘They say you don’t have to apply, they already want to hire you.’
The last block of text reads: ‘The company has no website, asks for personal information and to cash a check they send you.’
She looks at the camera with a bewildered expression.
The TikTok is captioned: “SCAM. There are so many scams going on right now. Be alert.’
“I’m ashamed,” TikToker, D. Cain said in a video describing how he became a victim. ‘It happened to me. It could happen to you’
In 2017, the FBI issued an alert warning young applicants to be wary of opportunities that exaggerate claims about potential earnings or profits.
Recent graduates are desperate for a job, making them particularly susceptible to scams.
They can also live their lives online very easily and are relatively inexperienced in the job market.
As the job market tightens – already tougher than last year – new graduates are desperate for work and are therefore becoming less wary.
Job recruitment scams reached a new high last summer, but the number has continued to rise.
Federal investigators have been urging the public for years to exercise caution when it comes to applying for jobs online.
In 2017, the FBI issued an alert warning young job applicants to be wary of opportunities that exaggerate claims about potential earnings or profits. Many colleges across the country have also alerted their students to the scam with web pages explaining how it works and how to avoid becoming a victim.
“If you’re asked to use your own money to get a job, it’s most likely a scam,” the University of Washington told its students.
“Please be aware that these scams are carried out using various forms of communication, including text messages, phone calls, email, including UW email accounts, and social media posts.”