Stay Diligent and Beware of Fraudulent Employment Postings

Phishing emails and fraudulent job postings are occurring in greater numbers on social media, job boards, and via emails, as scammers seek to gain your personal and financial information. With advancing technology and hacking techniques, job scammers are becoming significantly more sophisticated in their outreach and are likely to target students. While CBC Career Services strives to screen out fraudulent or scam postings, it is impossible to ensure that every posting is legitimate. It is important that you perform your due diligence to avoid scams and keep your identity safe. If you believe that you have encountered a fraudulent job posting, contact Career Services before providing any information to suspicious employers.

The following are common red flags that may alert you to a fraudulent or scam job posting:

Job offers without application/interview

- You are contacted indicating “we got your resume from your school career center” with no specific mention of Columbia Basin College or Handshake, CBC’s contracted online job board.
- The email does not contain a specific job title.
- The sender is requesting your contact information through an email.
- The employer requests you to recruit others for the same position or pressures you to accept the position.
- Legitimate employers will require you to apply and interview for a specific job, and will not pressure you to accept a position.

Requests for personal information or a photo

- The employer asks for your Social Security Number, personal documents, driver’s license number, or bank account information. Be wary if you are asked to provide any of this information by phone, email or online.
- Do not send photos or provide personal information such as your marital status, age, weight, or height.

Requests for money/payment deposits/gift cards

- The employer asks you to make online payments, send or wire money, cash checks on their behalf, or utilize your bank account to deposit checks or transfer money as part of the application process or as a condition of employment.
- The employer asks you to purchase gift cards or equipment.
- Legitimate employers will not ask you to conduct financial transactions on their behalf, send money or purchase gift cards.

Non-professional email account

- You are contacted through an email account that is not identified with the organization’s name (e.g., a Gmail, Yahoo, AOL, etc. address), or the email domain name does not match the business name. (Note that many small businesses and/or start-ups utilize generic email accounts as they are getting started, therefore, you are encouraged to do additional research to verify that the email is legitimate.)
- Look carefully for slight misspellings in the email address or web address. Be alert for suspicious websites or if there is no phone number through which you can contact the employer.

Poorly written job posting

- The job description is vague and poorly written.
- Legitimate job postings typically do not contain typos or poor grammar.

Too good to be true

- Jobs that advertise high wages for little or no experience or for very little work, work your own hours, be a Secret Shopper, work for an A-List celebrity, make $10k for one week of work, etc., are typically fraudulent.
- If you receive an unexpectedly large check or a check with “extra” money DO NOT attempt to cash it or deposit it into your account and contact law enforcement. You will be held accountable by the bank if you attempt to cash the check.
- Trust your instincts. If a job sounds too good to be true or the hiring process seems too fast, it is likely a scam.

No specific job location listed

- There is no specific location listed or the job is advertised as a local part-time position but the location is listed as “nationwide” or in another country.
- Exercise caution when dealing with a prospective job contact outside of the United States at companies with which you are not familiar.

Reporting Fraud and Scams

File a complaint online with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) or by calling the FTC at 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357). Check out the FTC video on how to report a scam and next steps to protect and recover your identity.
If money has been transferred, contact local law enforcement.
If you transferred bank information, contact your bank and lock your bank accounts.
Notify Career Services so that we can review the position/employer.
To report phishing emails contact CBC’s Spam Report at spamreport@columbiabasin.edu.

Learn More

Visit the FTC website to learn how to avoid a scam.
Research employer/company descriptions before submitting application materials using websites like the Better Business Bureau, Hoovers, or GlassDoor.
If you have concerns about identity theft resulting from your job application, you can find helpful information about specific steps you may wish to take at the Washington State Office of the Attorney General, the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse and the Identity Theft Resource Center.
Visit CBC Career Services to learn more about job and internship opportunities.