Beware of Fraudulent Job Postings

By Morgan Flynn, Communication Graduate Assistant

As the fall semester kicks off, this period often finds some of you seeking part-time employment to support your education expenses, while others are about to graduate and embark on the journey to secure their first entry-level job. Consequently, the job market tends to be busy during this time of year, but it also brings a surge in fraudulent activities.  

While it is exciting to be launching your career, looking for your first internship or entry-level job, or graduating, it’s also a time for you to be vigilant. That’s because typically this is also a time of year when fraudsters circulate fake job opportunities.  

Most employment scams utilize the Internet and often involve email to potential victims.  Here are some signs that you should exercise extreme caution: 

  • High pay with little work 
  • Requirements that you cash checks and wire money 
  • Poor grammar or punctuation 
  • Offers of a job without even interviewing you 
  • “Website” is actually an email address 
  • The office listed does not exist by that name and/or no employer information is listed 
  • No telephone number or physical address is listed 
  • The presence of "USA" in the address suggests that the message may originate from a different location. 

Additionally, some of the some of the fraudulent emails will inaccurately mention receiving your resume or personal information from the Career Center or Cardinal Careers as a way to hook you into responding. The University Career Center does not share your resume or personal information.  

Ultimately, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is too good to be true. 

You can avoid becoming a victim by pro-actively searching for positions utilizing established career management platforms and job listings, and employing other savvy job search practices like networking. The UofL career centers including Business, Engineering, Law and the University Career Center urge you to think critically and be vigilant as you search for jobs or internships, so you don’t fall prey to scammers.  

If you receive a phishing or scam email through your UofL email account, you can report it to Information Technology Services (ITS) by following these steps: 

  1. Click on the three dots in the upper right-hand corner of the email 
  2. Choose Report option 
  3. Click Report Phishing 

Here are some resources to help you protect yourself:  

And, if you ever feel a position is questionable but you are not sure, please contact the University Career Center and ask!