Protecting Your Personal Information

Scammers want money, and they can use several different types of personal information to access your money. They can also use certain types of information to impersonate your identity, allowing them to open credit lines and other financial accounts in your name.

What constitutes personal information?

Personal information that you want to be protective of while online and during your job/internship search includes:

Avoid sharing this information online, over the phone, or in writing, and never enter this information into ChatGPT or another generative AI system.

Do I ever share personal information during the job search process?

Unless you are applying for a government or national-security job, you are not required to include your Social Security number in any job application. If you are asked to provide your Social Security number so that the employer can conduct a background check, be aware that this typically happens very late in the application process: usually after you have interviewed and accepted a written job offer that is contingent on you passing a background check.

Similarly, the only time you would share your banking or financial information with an employer is after you are hired and you are preparing to set up direct deposit for your paychecks.

Protecting your email address and phone number

Because many (but not all) job scams start by contacting you via email, text, or phone, be mindful of where you make your email address and phone number available online. Though you may not have 100% control over where your personal data is stored and who it is sold to, you can make conscientious choices like:

• Limiting the personal contact information you include on your LinkedIn, online portfolio, or social media sites
• Avoid putting your address, phone number, or email address into ChatGPT or any generative AI system

Why Are Job Seekers Common Scam Targets?

Scammers typically look for targets who have emotional “weaknesses” that they can take advantage of. For example, many job seekers may feel negative emotions such as anxiety, stress, or discouragement about their job search. Scammers know that if they offer what looks like an outstanding opportunity to a job seeker in this mindset, that job seeker may be less inclined to look for signs of fraud because they are excited about the opportunity.

Additionally, all types of scammers tend to target people who have less knowledge or experience in a given area. This is why elderly people are disproportionately affected by phone- and tech-based scams: they typically have less knowledge of technology than the younger generations do. Similarly, this means that newer job seekers (or job seekers who are simply new to applying for roles online) may be more likely to be targets of job scams.

Signs an Opportunity May Be a Scam

Scammers are pursuing two things: money and/or sensitive personal information that can be used to mimic or steal your identity. Be mindful of any conversation or exchange in a job application or interview process that asks for your personal information. Below are some common signs that an opportunity may be a scam:

Spoofed email address

Check that the email address of the person you are communicating with matches the format of the email address listed for real employees on the company’s actual website (eg, “kcat560@stkate.edu” matches the email convention for St Kate’s email addresses; “kcat560@stcatherines.edu” does not). The practice of using an email address that looks sort of similar to one that the recipient might expect a message from is called email spoofing. Not all scammers will use spoofed email addresses, but if you spot one, it’s guaranteed to be from a scammer.

Too good to be true

While it’s perfectly reasonable to get excited and curious about a potential job opportunity, consider asking yourself these initial questions when you are viewing a job posting:

Does the job posting use any highly exaggerated language or encourage candidates to apply with extreme urgency?

Examples of highly exaggerated language:

Does the job posting offer salary or benefits that seem out of the ordinary for this type of role? 

You can use the Labor Market Tool to look up average salaries for specific job titles. See the following images for a step-by-step on how to complete this research:

Is the job posting free of grammatical errors, and does it offer specific and detailed information about the day-to-day responsibilities of this role? Is it clear about the required candidate qualifications?

Scammers may use hyperbolic language, unrealistic salary/benefits, and poorly written or vague job descriptions to appeal to discouraged job seekers or to people who are less experienced with evaluating job postings. Being mindful of your own emotional state and your experience level with online job searching is an important first step toward protecting yourself from fraud.

No application or interview process

If you’re offered a job you didn’t apply for or if you are offered a job you applied for without participating in an interview first, the job is likely to be fraudulent.

Can’t verify the employer

Most credible employers have an official website with a company address, employee names, email addresses affiliated with the organization, and detailed contact information — but in today’s digital age, it can be easy to make false information look legitimate online. Some scammers also pose as recruiters for legitimate and well-known organizations. Here are some things you can do to ensure you’re communicating with a real representative from a legitimate organization:

• Google the employer name alongside the word “scam” to see if it returns any results about a known job scam. Often, scammers are reaching out to a lot of people in similar ways, and they may already be flagged as a known scam by others online. 
• Check that the company address provided matches the information on Google Maps. Sometimes, fraudulent employers use real addresses, but those addresses belong to another business or organization.
• See if the company has a LinkedIn page (not all companies do, so the absence of a LinkedIn page is not necessarily a red flag).
  • How many employees are listed on the organization’s LinkedIn “People” tab?
  • Do the employee LinkedIn profiles look credible?
  • Does it seem as though the organization has the appropriate number of employees?
• If possible, contact the company directly using the publicly available information to verify the identity of the recruiter who is speaking with you.

Can’t verify the job posting

If you find a job posting on a third-party platform such as LinkedIn, Indeed, a social media group, or any page or app that does not belong to the company hiring for the role, you’ll want to verify that the job posting is real. The easiest way to do this is to complete the following steps:

1. Find the organization’s website
2. Find the page on their website that lists their open opportunities (this might be called “Jobs,” “Careers,” or “Work With Us”)
3. Look for the job title that you saw posted on the other app or platform. Is it listed here, and do you feel confident about the employer’s legitimacy? If so, go ahead and apply directly via the company’s listed opening, not on the other app or website. If it’s not listed on the company’s website, the position is either no longer open or is not a legitimate opportunity.

Suspicious cold contacts

In networking and job searching, a “cold contact” refers to when a recruiter with whom you have had no personal contact, with whom you have no mutual contacts, and with whom you have not applied for a job reaches out to you to tell you about a job opportunity. Not all cold contacts are fraudulent – there are legitimate recruiters whose job is finding qualified applicants for real companies. However, it’s important to ask yourself these questions when you receive a cold contact message about a job:

• Does this message have a specific greeting with my name?
• Is the message appropriately tailored to address my relevant skills and qualifications?
• Is the role I’m being informed about a good match for my skills and education?
• Does the role I’m being informed about seem like it requires direct solicitation in order to find qualified candidates? In other words, is it a highly specialized role that requires advanced or uncommon skills?
• Am I being pushed to act quickly?
• Am I being asked for personal information like Social Security numbers, bank details, or credit card information?
• Are there any unfamiliar links or attachments in the message?

If you receive a WhatsApp message or a text from a cold contact saying that they are a recruiter “and your resume has been recommended by several online recruitment companies,” this message is likely a scam. You can read more about text scams in the “Types of Job Scams” section below.

High pay for remote work

Scammers know that remote jobs that pay well are highly desirable, so many fraudulent job opportunities claim to have attractive benefits like remote work options, flexible work hours, or part-time schedules, all for high pay. While legitimate remote jobs do exist, it’s important to examine a remote job opportunity closely, as it has a higher likelihood of being a scam.

Asking you for payment or to buy your own supplies/equipment

You should never have to pay money to get a job or internship. This includes jobs where you’re told you have to buy your own inventory of the company’s product to sell, which is known as multi-level marketing. If you’re asked to buy supplies or equipment with money that the company sends you, provided you send the excess funds back to them, this is a common type of scam called fake check scam. Read more about this in the “Types of Job Scams” section below.

Types of Job Scams

Below is a list of common types of job scams, along with some visual examples:

Phishing scams

In phishing scams, a scammer solicits personal information via email or on a website by pretending to be a legitimate business or person. They may also do this with the intention of installing malware on your device. Scammers masquerade their identities by spoofing email addresses, as described in the section above. They can also do this by posting what looks like a legitimate job opportunity from a well-known or reputable business, but by faking the webpage credentials in a similar way in which email addresses are spoofed. You can be cautious about potential phishing scams by closely examining email addresses, webpage URLs and hyperlinks, and by not clicking on any links or attachments in any emails you receive until you’re 100% confident that the sender is not a scammer.

Text & WhatsApp scams

Job scams sent via text, WhatsApp, and other similar messaging platforms usually take the form of a cold contact from someone posing as a recruiter (discussed in the “Signs an Opportunity May Be a Scam” section above). These messages often claim to have reviewed or been recommended your resume by other online recruiters or companies. The goal of these types of scams is to eventually gather your personal information or to install malware on your device. It is best to delete these messages, block/report the sender, and avoid clicking on any links sent to you.

Fake check scams

There are several variations of fake check scams. For job seekers, one that’s common involves a scammer posing as a hiring manager and sending the job applicant money for the purpose of buying equipment for the job, such as a personal computer. In this scenario, the check is written for more money than the recipient needs for the purchase. The recipient is instructed to send the excess funds back to the sender. However, in these situations, the original check is fraudulent, meaning that the job applicant has just sent their own money to the scammer.

If you need specialized or new equipment for a job, it’s standard for companies to complete the purchase on your behalf rather than sending money to you.

Mobile payment app scams

As mobile payment apps like PayPal, Venmo, Zelle, CashApp, and others become more popular, the more it’s important to watch out for scams on these apps. Be mindful of any job application scenario that requests you use these apps, as this is highly unusual and is likely indicative of a scam. Read more about avoiding scams on mobile payment apps on the FTC’s website, linked in the next section.

What To Do If You’ve Engaged With a Scam

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has specific advice if you are in any of the following situations:

• If you paid a scammer
• If a scammer has your personal information
• If a scammer has access to your computer or phone
• If you want to report a scam

We recommend following the steps that the FTC provides if any of these scenarios apply to you.

If you have received a text, message, or email that appears to be a job scam but you have not responded to the message or clicked any links or attachments within it, you can simply delete the message, report it as spam, and/or block the sender.