TWU Handshake
Scammers advertise jobs in many of the same ways that legitimate employers do—online, in newspapers, on TV and radio, and via email. They promise you a job, but what they want is your money and your personal information. Your TWU Career Connections Center filters all job opportunities through TWU Connect (powered by Handshake), and you can be assured that our jobs are legitimate. Additionally, while we may highlight posted positions on our social media platforms or through our department newsletters, you will NOT receive an email for a job opportunity. So how can you protect yourself against scam emails? We have a few tips that might help.
Job Scam Red Flags:
- Asking for personal information like your social security or bank account number over email or phone.
- Attempts to send you cashier’s checks or money orders as a form of payment. NEVER exchange money upfront.
- Requests that you cash a check or buy gift cards on someone else’s behalf with the promise of payment coming soon. NEVER exchange money upfront.
- Scammers send checks that require you to deposit a check at your bank, withdraw the “extra” money as cash, and then deposit that cash elsewhere. The check will bounce and you will be held accountable.
- Requests to wire funds via Western Union (most common), MoneyGram, or any other service. NEVER exchange money upfront.
- Attempts to verify your background without having met in-person or been vetted through an interview process.
- Other shady requests, such as asking you to respond with your personal email address rather than your school email.
Signs of a Possible Scam:
- Email notifications of a job out of the blue.
- Email addresses or account domains that do not match the company account domain. For example, the email address in the scam email is “@ngorecruitmentoffers.com”, and the email address for actual NGO Recruitment Relief emails is “@ngorecruitment”.
- Grammatical errors/misspellings and inconsistency in the language used. There are many grammatical errors throughout the email and attached document sent by the scammers.
- If the job sounds too good to be true, trust your instincts! When in doubt, contact the TWU Career Connections Center for assistance. TWU Career Connections Center, Woodcock Hall Suite 200, 940-898-2950, careers@twu.edu.
More information about scams (including student loan and job scams):
- https://consumer.ftc.gov/scams
- https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/job-scams
- https://www.flexjobs.com/blog/post/how-to-find-a-real-online-job-and-avoid-the-scams-v2/
- https://www.flexjobs.com/blog/post/common-job-search-scams-how-to-protect-yourself-v2/
- https://www.livecareer.com/resources/jobs/search/avoid-job-scams
- https://www.pcmag.com/opinions/avoid-online-job-post-scams-with-these-7-tips
If you believe that you are a victim of a scam or have been frauded:
