CHARLESTON — Attorney General Patrick Morrisey is urging West Virginians to be aware of employment scams targeting college students.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation recently issued a warning about an email scam circulating around college campuses offering “work from home” opportunities specifically for college students. The emails have been circulating through students’ school accounts.
“Many students are looking for convenient, good paying jobs while pursuing their education,” Morrisey said in a press release. “We want to be sure that people know what to expect and are able to protect themselves especially since many of these employment scams appear to be legitimate.”
In the student employment scam, the email asks the student to provide a bank account number so money can be deposited. The student then is told to transfer a portion of the funds to another bank account. However, by following those directions, the student puts himself or herself at risk of being defrauded out of money or becoming a victim of identity theft. Additionally, the money allegedly being deposited may not be real, which could create a scenario in which the student ends up having to pay overdraft fees.
Morrisey urged college students to follow a few tips and safety measures before responding to an employment opportunity, such as:
- Never accept a job that requires you to deposit funds into an account and then wire a portion of the money into different accounts.
- Research the company and sender’s email address online before answering any emails offering potential employment. Make sure both the company and the sender are legitimate. Do an online search of the company’s name and the word “scam” to see if any hits pop up.
- Be cautious if the email uses poor English or contains improper grammar, punctuation or sentence structure.
- Never provide personal information of any kind, such as bank account information, login names, passwords, or any other identifying information in response to a recruitment or human resources-related email.
