Protect Yourself: How to spot a fake job or internship posting

photo by ToastyKen

You've probably gotten at least a few phishing emails that ask you to verify or update your personal information. While these emails typically focus on banks, businesses, and Universities, some attacks target people looking for jobs and internships. Although scam artists continue to get more creative, the following tips may help you spot a fake job or internship posting:

• Most employers will not ask for personal information (such as Social Security Numbers) until you arrive at their offices for an interview and are given a formal job application.
• Never wire funds (Western Union, etc) to a potential employer.
• Never accept any kind of offer to cash checks or money orders on someone's behalf.
• If you have doubts about a company's legitimacy, research them at the Better Business Bureau and the United States Federal Trade Commission.
• Refrain from providing credit card or bank account numbers or engaging in any financial transactions over the phone or online with a potential employer/recruiter.
• Withhold offering personal information (such as marital status, age, height, weight). Such questions might violate federal hiring standards, and you are not obligated to answer them.
• Exercise caution when dealing with prospective job contacts outside of the United States.

Original source: Yahoo!

Luckily for you, we catch most fraudulent job postings that are submitted to UO-JobLink before they are visible to you. If you do see a suspicious job posting in UO-JobLink, please let us know.

If you have other tips for fellow job or internship seekers, post a comment to share them.