Beware of Fake or Scam Job Postings and Offers of Employment

CSUSM’s University Police Department reminds students looking for employment opportunities to thoroughly evaluate each posting and offer for legitimacy.

The FBI recently issued a warning noting that scammers continue to exploit security weaknesses on job recruitment websites to post fraudulent job postings in order to trick applicants into providing personal information or money.

The FBI shared the following recommendations for job seekers:

• Conduct a web search of the hiring company using the company name only. Results that return multiple websites for the same company may indicate fraudulent job listings.
• Verify job postings found on networking and third-party websites on the hiring company’s own website or through legitimate HR representatives at the hiring company.
• Legitimate companies will ask for Personally Identifiable Information (PII) and bank account information for payroll purposes AFTER hiring employees. This information is safer to give in person. If in-person contact is not possible, a video call with the potential employer can confirm identity, especially if the company has a directory against which to compare employee photos.
• Never send money to someone you meet online, especially by wire transfer.
• Never provide credit card information to an employer.
• Never provide bank account information to employers without verifying their identity.
• Never share your Social Security number or other PII that can be used to access your accounts with someone who does not need to know this information.
• Before entering PII online, make sure the website is secure by looking at the address bar. The address should begin with “https://”, not “http://”.

If you have concerns about the legitimacy of a job posting, please contact CSUSM’s Career Center at careers@csusm.edu or (760) 750-4900.