Beware of Fraud, Protect Your Privacy, Ask Questions
While the Career Center does not knowingly accept fraudulent job postings, regrettably, false job postings may appear in our listings from time to time. False job listings are typically used to illegally collect personal information from job seekers or facilitate other forms of illegal activity.
Clues A Job May be Fraudulent
It is very important for you to educate yourself about potential scams. Here are some good tips that the job is probably fraudulent:
- The promise of a large salary for very little work – especially those that state thousands of dollars of income per month with little or no experience required.
- Positions that ask you to give credit card or bank account numbers, or copies of personal documents.
- Jobs that ask you to send payment by wire service or courier.
- Positions in which you are offered a large payment or reward in exchange for allowing the use of your bank account - often for depositing checks or transferring money.
- Look for inconsistencies in the sender’s email address, links and domains. Hover your cursor over the link before clicking to preview the URL that it leads to (likely in a pop-up near your cursor or bottom corner of your screen). If the domain doesn’t exist, that’s highly suspicious, and it’s likely to be a phishing link.
- Other red flags that can identify a phishing link can include unusual or urgent requests and error-filled language within the email itself.
- While there are legitimate opportunities for individuals to work from home, be sure to research the position in advance of applying.
- Common Fraud Themes - FBI
If you suspect a position is fraudulent, please contact the Employer Relations team – careerrecruiting@ucr.edu or 951.827.3631. If you believe you are the victim of fraud resulting from a job listing, please contact the local police as well http://police.ucr.edu/.
Research Each Company
When applying for any position it is important to research the company thoroughly before releasing any of your personal information.
- Review the company's website for anything suspicious.
- Google search the company name followed by words such as "fraud", "scam", "reviews", "complaints", etc.
- Search for the company name on RipOffReport.com.
Report Phishing Emails to ITS through PhishAlarm
If you believe that you have received a phishing scam through your UCR email, you can report it to ITS straight from R’Mail through the PhishAlarm add-on. Read instructions for how to utilize this feature within your email which gives ITS the information they need to investigate further.
Educate Yourself on how to be CyberSmart
Take your security seriously and keep your data safe. ITS has put together some great resources to keep you informed about the latest cybersecurity trends and tips at https://its.ucr.edu/cybersmart.