College students getting money for jobs they haven't started? Beware of a new scam
BOSTON - The Better Business Bureau has a warning for college students who are looking for jobs.
The agency told WBZ-TV that scammers are finding their way into student inboxes. But this time, they're posing as someone who's familiar to them, such as a professor or other faculty members.
Here's how the latest employment scam works, according to the BBB.
- The student would receive an e-mail, at their school address, encouraging them to apply for a job.
- The e-mail will look like it's coming from your professor or someone who works for your college or university. (This is the part that catches some students off guard.)
- When the student replies, the "employer" (scammer) hires the student and sends them money, without interviewing them.
- The scammer then tells the student to deposit the money (now remember, the student hasn't done any work or anything to have earned this money)
- The scammer then instructs the student to use that newly deposited money to buy gift cards, money orders, or any other supplies the student could need to be able to successfully do their job.
In one example, Bitcoin was a part of the scam, according to Paula Fleming, the chief marketing and sales officer for the BBB of eastern Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Vermont.
"They were sent two checks in the amount of over $1,600. They were instructed to cash the checks directly to their bank and then buy Bitcoin for the employer, and they did this. Then what happened the next day was their checks bounced. Not only were they out that money. But they were out the money that they, you know, then purchased Bitcoin with," Fleming said.
Remember to take all of the steps you can to verify the e-mail you received:
Independently reach out to your professor or the company
Be on the lookout for obvious red flags (i.e. bad grammar, typos)
Double check the e-mail address
Never send money to people you don't know
If you want to report a scam to the BBB, click here.