Consumer Alert: Check-Cashing Scam Targeting Job Seekers

Letters To Home
Letters To Home via Kim G. Appels on Flickr

There is a type of check-cashing scam that is being repurposed to target job seekers, the FBI reports.

The FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center identified a recent trend of scams showing up on job search sites targeted at college students. Expanding on the common "Make Money From Home" scams, these job postings claim that students will receive a check with which to purchase materials necessary for the job. A check is sent to the applicant and they are told to cash the check, receive the money, then forward part of the amount to a third address to purchase materials for the job.

Not only is there no job to be had, the applicant has now cashed a fraudulent check into their account and can face serious consequences, including having to pay back the full amount of the check and having their credit report and banking history marred by fraudulent activity.

If you have been a victim of this scam, do not be embarrassed, but take action: Contact the Internet Crime Complaint Center and notify the campus police and IT department if the job listing was seen on an official school job board. Read the full report by the FBI for specifics about keeping safe while job searching online.


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