Another ‘job’ scam for students to watch out for | Scam of the Week

If there’s one thing I don’t miss about being a young college student, it’s job hunting.

Roaming around town first thing in the morning with a stack of resumes that may or may not make their way to a manager or owner’s desk trying to sell myself as something more than just an exhausted 18-year-old trying to pay bills and afford to live wasn’t exactly a time I remember fondly.

For a lot of students, the pressure is on to secure at least a part-time job to get by, even if it means living off Top Ramen. Every year there is an uptick in students looking for local jobs and unfortunately, scammers are all too aware of this.

Fake job postings are something I’ve written about before, but they seem to spike at the start of the school year when Chico State students start moving back in.

The Federal Trade Commission has issued plenty of warnings on this subject. What makes them so easy to fall for is that they are posted in all the same places that legitimate jobs are, and it can be hard to tell them apart at first glance.

If you’re in the job market and unsure about a post, there are a few ways you can filter out the more nefarious ones. Watch out for anything too good to be true. Most entry-level jobs aren’t going to offer high salaries, especially for part-time work.

Don’t be afraid to reach out to the poster and ask questions about the job. Watch out for answers with frequent typos or strange wording. Remember also that Google is your friend. Do as much research as you need to on a job poster.

Some postings might seem strange such as reshipping and reselling jobs. These “jobs” might ask you to accept packages only to send them elsewhere. The fake company will ask for personal information about you claiming they need it in order to pay you, but that paycheck never comes and now some stranger has your identity.

You have too much going on and a full future ahead of you. Don’t let scammers throw a wrench in the gears.

Stay safe out there folks.

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Scam of the Week generally runs every Tuesday. Readers are welcome to contact reporter Jake Hutchison to report scams and potential scams they have come in contact with by calling 828-1329 or via email at [email protected].