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. 

Scam Alert

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.

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!