Scammers commonly target people who've posted their resumes on job-hunting and networking sites. College students have reported that they received scam job offers with a professor or coach's email spoofed by scammers. Scammers may use the names of real companies, and some job scammers even conduct teleconference interviews to lure victims. Job scams generally are designed to steal applicants' personal information, money, or both.

The best way to protect yourself is to learn how to spot suspicious employment offers.

It's definitely a scam if someone:

• Asks you to pay them. (Real jobs pay you!)
• Sends you a check and directs you to forward part of the money (in any form) to someone else.
• Asks you to set up a bank account or payment app for the company’s use .

Examples of job scams:

Job scams can be tailored to target people seeking work in specific professions. Take a look at these common job scams to get a sense of how scams work:

• Reshipping / quality control scams - The job is to receive packages of merchandise, check the order for accuracy and then forward merchandise to another location. The merchandise, though, is paid for with stolen credit cards.
• Nanny, caregiver or personal assistant scams - In these scams, you're offered a job, but one of your first duties is to deposit a check and forward some of the funds to others. Even though the deposited funds briefly show up in your account, the check is counterfeit. The bank will undo the deposit, and you'll be responsible for paying the money you forwarded.
• Office manager/bookkeeping jobs that require you to set up bank accounts or payment apps for an employer - Real companies would trust a new hire to create an account for the company's use.

How to check out job offers before you apply:

• Do a quick online search to check the name of the company or person who's hiring you along with the word "scam" or "complaint." Be aware that scammers may pose as real people from well-known companies.
• Check the email address of the sender to make sure it matches the organization’s web address. For example, you'd expect someone from a larger company to use an email address that ends in the company's address, not a free service like gmail.
• Visit the official website for the company to verify there's an opening. Most include a “careers” or “jobs” section where you can see current postings and apply through the site.
• Call the employer's number, using a number listed on the company's site, not the number given to you by the recruiter who approached you. Verify the recruiter who contacted you works for the company and that their contact information (phone and email) match what you received.