Job seekers should beware of online scammers who pose as employers in order to scam students out of large sums of money. Job scams can be difficult to spot and even seemingly legitimate postings can later involve contact with a fake employer online, via email, online chat, in person, or over the phone.

Avoid Job Scams

  • Never pay an employer via a money transfer service or gift cards to cover training, software, or materials.
  • Never accept a check from an employer to purchase materials required for your training and/or position.
  • Never agree to deposit a check into your checking account and return funds to the employer by cash, gift cards, or check.

How to Recognize a Scam

Generally, if the job posting, email, or interaction with the employer contains any of the following, end all contact with the employer and notify the Wasserman Center immediately:

  • Offers to pay a large amount of money for very little work
  • Offers you a job without ever interacting with you or after a very brief virtual conversation
  • Requests an immediate interview via an online chat platform such as Google Hangouts
  • Requests personal information from you such as Social Security Number, bank account numbers, credit card information, copies of your passport or license and/or other personal documents during the interview process
  • Requests you to transfer or wire money from one account to another, or to purchase any type of gift cards
  • Asks you to purchase or send money for training materials or other needed supplies, with or without the promise of repayment
  • Offers you a large payment in exchange for allowing the use of your bank account — often for depositing checks or transferring money or offers to send you a check before you do any work or sends you an unexpectedly large check
  • Outreach comes from a contact email address that does not match the company’s website domain (i.e. JohnSmith@gmail.com rather than JohnSmith@companyname.com)

If You Are Suspicious of a Posting or Email

  • End all communication with the employer and contact the Wasserman Center at recruitment@nyu.edu or 212.998.4737.
    • If the Wasserman Center is closed, please wait to hear back from a representative before proceeding with any conversations with the potential employer.

If You Have Been the Victim of a Scam

  • Contact the Wasserman Center recruitment@nyu.edu or 212.998.4737 to report the incident and receive additional support navigating your next steps and action. 
  • Contact NYU Campus Safety to file a report at 212.998.2222, or by visiting their Command Center at 7 Washington Place.
  • If the incident occurred completely over the internet, you can file an incident report with the US Department of Justice or by calling the FTC at 1.877.FTC.HELP (1.877.382.4357).
  • Once you are hired, if you have any concerns about the legitimacy of the company or believe the work environment to be unsafe, contact the US Department of Labor.

The Wasserman Center makes every effort to screen employers and job postings on Handshake. However, the Wasserman Center acts only as an intermediary between employers posting job opportunities and candidates searching for job opportunities. Please refer to our Terms and Conditions for additional information