JOB SEARCH SAFETY

College2Careers is committed to providing a safe environment for our users. It’s important to exercise common sense and good judgement when looking for a job online. If you're ever unsure of a posting on our site please email safejobs@college2careers.org with a link to the posting along with any correspondences you may have received.

Many scams start out with big promises and offering unrealistically good deals. How do you know if a job is probably fraudulent?

Look for the following warning signs…

• The promise of a large salary for very little work. Especially those that promise thousands of dollars of income per month with little or no experience.
• Positions that ask for credit card or bank account information, social security number, driver’s license number 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.
• You receive an unexpected large check.
• Multiple misspellings and bad grammar in the job notice.
• You are requested to send a photo copy of your ID, i.e., driver's license to "verify identity".
• Job posting doesn't mention the job responsibilities; instead it focuses on the amount of money you will make.
• You are asked to pay for, or complete a background check before you can be considered for a position.
• The posting appears to come from a legitimate company or organization, but the contact's e-mail address doesn't match the company's website domain (i.e., johndoe@gmail.com instead of johndoe@thecompanyname.com).
• Beware of IM interviews. If the employer does not want to meet you face-to-face (whether in person or over video) this is good sign that the job is a scam. In addition, they’ll most likely hire you on the spot during the chat interview and ask for your bank account information. Never give this information out through an internet chat.

Remember, if the offer sounds too good be true it probably is!