Job scams targeting recent college graduates. What to know
(CBS DETROIT) - Scammers don't care who you are, what you look like or how old you are. They prey on vulnerability, desperation and taking money from whoever they can.
The latest scam involved recent college graduates entering the workforce for the first time.
The Federal Trade Commission has issued a new warning urging students to be weary of this scam.
"Sadly, it is one of those where you may be out of luck," said Nakia Mills, the director of marketing for the Better Business Bureau Serving Eastern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula.
Fake recruiters are using sophisticated techniques to lure students. In some cases, scammers have posed as faculty members and sent an email urging the student to apply for the fake job.
The scammers also persuade students to put up money for home office equipment. Instead, that money ends up in the hands of the fake job poster.
"These are convenient jobs for college students, so they are happy to apply, and they maybe do not have the knowledge to do a little bit of research before applying, especially for these types of positions because they are known to be a little bit sketchy," said Mills.
Some tips to avoid being duped include looking up the name of the company or person who's hiring you, and reaching out directly to your professor if an unexpected email asks you to apply for a job.
Ask the potential employer to send you in writing details of the job duties, pay and hours, and if they refuse, it could be a red flag.
Also, talk to someone you trust. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
The FTC says your company should be paying you, not the other way around.
If you're instructed to deposit a check and use some of the money for any reason, that's a scam, and you should report it to the FTC.
"We found, especially in our scam tracker report form last year, we saw young adults, even though they don't lose as much money, they are scammed more often, and it is just the knowledge factor," said Mills. "The older we get, we have been in the real world; we have sadly learned something, or we learned it from a friend, so we know better. These poor college students, they are just trying to earn some money; they are just starting out, and they don't know any better."
