Fraudulent Job Postings

In addition to the hundreds of great opportunities from legitimate employers listed on Handshake, we unfortunately see occasional fraudulent postings as well. Despite our monitoring of incoming postings, it is important that students carefully review job postings for signs of fraud.
Warning Signs
Here are some warning signs to look out for when evaluating a potential opportunity:
  • You are asked to give your credit card or bank account numbers, or copies of personal documents — but you get nothing in writing.
  • You must send payment by wire service or courier.
  • You are offered a large payment or reward in exchange for allowing the use of your bank account — often for depositing checks or transferring money. Note:  This sample is for illustration purposes only (PDF; download Adobe Acrobat Reader, if needed):
  • You receive an unexpectedly large check. Note: these samples are for illustration purposes only (PDF):
  • This is not an exhaustive list. There may be other clues, or a fraudulent posting may not conform to any of these conditions — but these are common tactics.
Scam and fraudulent postings are not limited to online job boards. Some scams are posted on physical bulletin boards around campus and may seem like they're affiliated with or promoting advocacy groups or causes that students care about.
What to do 
Contact the Academic and Career Advising Center (707.826.3341 or acac@humboldt.edu) immediately if an employer requests your bank routing information, transfers funds into the account, and asks you to withdraw the funds and transfer them to someone else. This is an indicator that your bank account is receiving stolen money and you are being used to transfer the stolen money to criminals. Even though you may not be aware that a crime was committed, you would still be an accessory to the crime and could face prosecution.