Watch Out for Job Scams During the Holidays
WATCH OUT FOR JOB SCAMS DURING THE HOLIDAYS
By Stuart Esrock, Ph.D.
While the holiday season is a joyous time, unfortunately it is also a time of year when fraudsters become very active. One type of scam that students need to be aware of is a fraudulent job offer.
Most employment scams are perpetrated on the Internet and typically involve email. These scams have occurred for years due to the ease of mass emails, since a fraudster can reap financial gains if only a few people fall prey. You can avoid becoming a victim by thinking critically and employing savvy job search practices.
In particular, beware of emails/offers of employment that include:
- 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 are listed
- “USA” is included in address which is usually an indication authors are from outside the country and potentially trying to scam you
- Sounds too good to be true
These are just a few of the "red flags." Here are some resources to help you protect yourself.
- Safe Job Hunting by the University Career Center
- Hunting for a Job? Watch Out for Scammers by The Kentucky Attorney General
Students who think they have received a scam email to their student email address should report it to UofL Information Technology Services.
And, if you ever feel a position is questionable but you are not sure, please contact the University Career Center (https://louisville.edu/career) and ask!
