Searching for a job is stressful enough, but today there’s an added challenge: identifying real opportunities from convincing scams. On sites like Indeed, fake postings can blend in with legitimate ones, making it hard to know who’s actually hiring. Before you hit “apply,” take a moment and verify it’s real.

So, what can you do? Take control of your search and consider the following tips.

Verify the job posting on the company website.

It’s important to research a company before applying for a job to ensure it aligns with your morals. From a security perspective, reviewing the company’s website, social media, and general online presence is a good idea to test its legitimacy. 

Verify the job posting. Check out the company website to see what you can learn about their location, company, culture, and their business model.

 Check the sender’s email domain carefully.

Especially in this AI era, scam emails can look legitimate. Check the sender’s email domain to ensure it matches the company’s website or the recruiting agency you’ve previously talked with.

 Look up the recruiter on Handshake or LinkedIn.

If a recruiter reaches out to you, find them on Handshake or LinkedIn. Some scams go as far as to have fake recruiter LinkedIn profiles. 

Real recruiters post and engage on LinkedIn and Handshake, so it’s important to note if they’ve posted or commented, or given and received recommendations.

 Don’t immediately click links.

Hover over the link and preview the URL. Don’t recognize it? Don’t trust it. Clicking a link could compromise your accounts and computer. 

  Never cash a check or give any money to an employer.

A common technique of internet scammers is to ask you to cash a check at a bank and then return some of that money to the employer while you get to keep some of the cash for yourself. 

This is a scam. No reputable employer will require you to pay for anything on your own or cash a check on their behalf, before starting your job. If you receive an email asking you to do anything remotely like this, flag the employer immediately and contact your city’s Better Business Bureau.

 Be cautious if you didn’t apply to the role.

Be suspicious if you didn’t apply to a job and are suddenly receiving a job offer. Always speak to an employer before accepting a job offer. If it feels too good to be true, it probably isn’t real. Likewise, if a job description claims you can “make $300 in a day from home”, it’s likely a scam. 

Large sums of money for minimal work is a common tactic that a scammer will use to lure students in and steal your information.

 Familiarize yourself with common job scams.

Remote work with job titles like data entry assistant, package processor, mystery shopper, envelope stuffer, and product assembler are some common titles in job scams. 

There are more scams out there and AI has made it harder to identify. Be cautious, and visit the company’s website to verify the job posting.

 Create a jobs-only email.

Creating an email address exclusively for your job search can help you organize your messages and lower your risk of sharing sensitive information. Avoid using an email address that’s connected with a bank account, tax, medical, or other sensitive information. If your email is ever hacked, you can worry a little less.

If you are aware of a fraudulent employer, you can:

Flag the employer on Handshake. This will prompt a review from the Trust & Safety team and help keep other students safe.

File a Report with the FTC. You can report the scam to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at https://reportfraud.ftc.gov website. The FTC is the nation’s consumer protection agency and collects complaints about identity theft, business practices, and scams. Once reported, the information is sent to the FTC’s Consumer Sentinel Network and shared with law enforcement agencies for further investigation.

Report it to the Career Services Office. We can remove the employer and alert the Trust & Safety team from Handshake.

If you believe you have given personal information to a fraudulent employer, you can:

Contact your bank. If you have shared any financial details or sent money to a fraudulent employer, contact your bank or credit card company immediately. They can help protect your accounts and dispute any unauthorized transactions.

Change your passwords. Change your email and bank account passwords, and keep monitoring for any unauthorized activity.

Report to local authorities. If you believe you’ve been targeted by a scam, contact your local police. Law enforcement handles fraud cases, even if the scammer is located elsewhere.

Visit our website for more information and career resources! https://necc.edu/workforce/career-services/

Email: careerservices@necc.mass.edu Handshake URL: www.necc.joinhandshake.com