If a job posted online seems so great it might as well be a steal, then it is probably trying to steal from you.
As technology improves, criminals resort to online scams and frauds, and one common example is fraudulent job postings, according to LSU Police Department Spokesman Capt. Cory Lalonde.
Director of Career Services Mary Feduccia said there’s a process to filter through every job posted on Careers2Geaux, but some fake posts still slip through.
Last semester, a University student was asked to send $1,500 to invest in an apparent job opportunity posted on Careers2Geaux and complied. The company never reimbursed the student or made contact again. Feduccia said the investigation is still underway, and Career Services has helped the student find a legitimate job.
“Within the last year, cybercrime in this area has exploded through the roof,” Feduccia said. “Identity theft is popular, and access to student résumés is one way to steal an identity.”
She said Careers2Geaux has one fake job attempt go online every three to four months, but they are usually discovered and deleted by the staff.
Lalonde said when LSUPD is called about a fraudulent job post, it investigates it like a normal crime. He said the posts are usually from a source outside of the United States, therefore it falls out of LSUPD’s jurisdiction and they forward it to Internet Crime Complaint Center, a website from the FBI and the National White Collar Crime Center.
“Anytime something looks too good to be true, it probably is,” Lalonde said. “Awareness is the No. 1 defense. People need to be vigilant and very careful about what solicitation they respond to, and should report it in a timely manner.”
Feduccia said the common red flags of a fake job post are: anyone asking for money, receiving a check before being hired, emails from a non-company email account (e.g., Gmail), employers asking for Social Security or bank information and a high salary for a position that requires few skills.
There is a pamphlet on the Career Services website about fraudulent and scam job postings that Feduccia said all students should read to inform themselves about the dangers of scammers.
“We devote attention to protect students and provide job opportunities,” Feduccia said. “Bring in any concerns for Career Services to look into.”
Lalonde said depending on the circumstances, posting a fake job could be a misdemeanor or a felony.
The amount of money stolen and how the personal information was used determines the severity of the crime, and Lalonde said the smaller crimes often branch off into serious felonies.
“Anytime something looks too good to be true, it probably is.”
