Job Scams

Unfortunately fake job postings are on the rise via unsolicited emails sent to your student account and on online job-listing sites.

If you have concerns about the legitimacy of a job or internship posting, please contact the Career Services Network immediately at (517) 355-9510 or careerservices@csp.msu.edu .

To avoid being caught up in a scam, heed this advice:

Beware if the email or job posting…

  • Does not indicate the company name
  • Comes from an email address that doesn’t match the company name
  • Offers to pay a large amount for almost no work
  • Offers you a job without ever interacting with you
  • Asks you to pay an application fee
  • Wants you to transfer money from one account to another
  • Offers to send you a check before you do any work
  • Asks you to give your credit card or bank account numbers
  • Asks for copies of personal documents
  • Says you must send payment by wire service or courier
  • Offers you a large payment for allowing the use of your bank account – often for depositing checks or transferring money
  • Sends you an unexpectedly large check

No legitimate employer will send payment in advance and ask the employee to send a portion of it back. DO NOT provide any personal information especially social security numbers or financial information! 

Watch out for overpayment scams
Often posted as a book-keeper, personal assistant, or administrative assistant to assist in processing checks or mystery/secret shoppers, the “company” sends a check to the “assistant” (student), who is then responsible for taking their salary out of the check and wiring the remainder of the money back to the “company”. These checks are fraudulent and can leave you out of thousands of dollars and facing criminal charges.

Watch out for email phishing scams
Online scammers are becoming much more sophisticated in their attempts to lure victims, especially using email links to false websites.

MSU SecureIT encourages the MSU community to:

  • Never respond to an email requesting personal information.
  • Use a different strong password for each online account.
  • Change passwords more frequently for accounts with access to confidential data.
  • Never share passwords with others.