Student Safety Policy
Handshake is not a product, service or program of Mississippi College. The Office of Career Development does not endorse or recommend employers, and a posting does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation. The Office of Career Development explicitly makes no representations or guarantees about job or internship listings or the accuracy of the information provided by the employer. The Office of Career Development is not responsible for safety, wages, working conditions, or any other aspect of off-campus employment without limitation.
It is the responsibility of students to perform due diligence in researching employers when applying for or accepting private, off-campus employment and to thoroughly research the facts and reputation of each organization to which they are applying. Students use common sense and caution when applying for or accepting any position.
Practices to Avoid Job Scams
Scam artists take advantage of college students because they tend to be new to the job search and are more vulnerable during the process. They also understand that most students are very interested in finding positions that are paid and advertise their false positions as such. The majority of the positions that The Office of Career Developments posts through Handshake are legitimate, but it is important to be cautious while you are searching for a job or internship. Below are common scams, but please remember that new tactics are always being developed.
Phishing
Phishing has become very common in recent years. Scammers use two different methods to identify their victims:
- A mass email is sent claiming to have viewed recipients’ resumes and notes that they meet the requirements for a bogus position. The message may also use language stating that they are responding to a resume you sent. Always remember and keep a record whether or not you sent your resume to an organization/recruiter.
- The scam may also come in the form of a professional email sent to you containing a link. Beware of the fact that the link can lead to a false website that may ask you to update banking or employment information.
International Check Cashing Scam
This scam involves transferring funds internationally. The scam artist tells the targeted individual that they are overseas and would like to have money deposited into the victim’s account via check, money order or wire deposit then cashed. The victim is told to send a portion of the money to the scam artist and to keep a percentage for themselves as payment for services. It is explained that this helps to avoid international taxes and fees. In the end, the victim has the money withdrawn from their account before the bank realizes it was a fraudulent check, money order or deposit.
Reshipping
This scam is usually generated through an email from a company that appears to be legitimate. Victims are asked to receive packages and reship them to a different address, with their address on the return label. If caught, the victim can be arrested for receiving and shipping stolen goods.
Mystery Shopper
These positions often appear too good to be true. They give victims the opportunity to dine at a particular restaurant, or shop in a popular store and then be reimbursed for their purchase and perhaps even to receive a small compensation. Although many of these opportunities are legitimate, there are some that ask potential employees to pay an upfront fee to get more information about the role prior to being hired. This may happen in other industries, as well. It should be known that there is no need to pay a potential employer anything prior to getting hired for any job.
Ways to Avoid Falling Victim to Scams
- Google is your friend. Oftentimes, previous victims have posted about their experiences online. Many potential scams can be avoided by simply looking up an employer by organization name, contact name, phone number or email.
- Carefully review contact information, job descriptions, company descriptions and email addresses. Be sure to look for spelling and grammatical errors, which are usually the sign of a scam.
- Keep a list of all jobs and companies to which you’ve applied so you can easily look back to see if the employer was one in which you were interested.
- If the sender’s email address is coming from a Gmail, AOL, Yahoo or other perceived personal account, it’s most likely a scam. Most businesses have their name in their email extensions.
- Never give out your social security number, birthday, mother’s maiden name or financial information. New employers do not need any of that information until after you have started working and wish to have your paychecks deposited directly into your account.
- Never agree to forward, transfer or wire money to or from your account. Any transfer of funds should come out of the employer’s business account.
- Do not pay an employer for any products, information, licensures or information prior to being hired for the position.
- Scam artists go to great lengths to create emails and websites that look like legitimate organizations. They copy company branding such as logos, colors and text to trick their victims. If there is any doubt as to the validity of the message, call your financial institution or the referenced company and ask them to verify that the message is legitimate.
