Job Search, Internships & Other Work Experience

Here are some warning signs to look out for when searching and applying for work opportunities:

• The employer asks you to pay upfront for application fees, training fees, equipment fees, or anything else as part of the hiring process.
• You receive job offers for positions you did not apply for, especially if they promise high pay for minimal work.
• The job description and requirements are very vague.
• You are asked to provide your credit card, bank account numbers, social security number, or copies of personal documents before you are hired.
• You are asked to 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. See this example of a fraudulent recruiting letter.
• You receive a check and are asked to send a portion of it elsewhere.
• The employer pressures you to act quickly.
• You receive persistent calls.
• You receive unprofessional emails.
• You are asked to download unfamiliar software.
• Please note the scammers may also use information like faculty names, campus landmarks, or recommendations from deans or professors to appear legitimate.

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. Visit IT's Job Scams page for more information and tips.

If you have given any personal information to a fraudulent employer, here are a few steps we recommend to take:

1. Report to local police if you provided bank routing information, if funds were transferred into your account or if any withdrawals occurred. Police are responsible for conducting an investigation (regardless of whether the scam artist is local or not). If you live ON-CAMPUS, file a report with the Campus Police by calling the non-emergency line. If you live OFF-CAMPUS, file a report within your domain (local police department) using the non-emergency line. San Diego Police Department
2. If you applied to the position on Handshake, flag the employer. This will alert Handshake's Trust and Safety team to open an investigation. Please note, employers will not be notified that a flag has been submitted.  Also, please contact Career Services regarding the fraudulent posting or employer at [email protected].
3. Contact your bank immediately to protect your account and dispute any charges that may have occurred. If you are a current SDSU student and have lost funds, you should also file a claim with our on-campus Economic Crisis Response Team.
4. Report the job scam to the Federal Trade Commission, the nation's consumer protection agency, which collects complaints about companies, business practices, and identity theft.

Despite our monitoring of incoming postings, it is important that students carefully review job postings for signs of fraud.

If you receive a phishing email, please do the following:

1. Forward the message to [email protected] a well as report this to Career Services at [email protected].
2. After reporting to [email protected], if you are using gmail, report phishing directly to Google:
   1. Sign in to Gmail.
   2. Open the message you'd like to report.
   3. Click the triple-dot icon next to "reply" at the top-right of the message pane.
   4. Select "report phishing."
3. After you have reported it and received a response, delete emails and messages that ask you to confirm or provide personal information.

Do not reply, click on the links, or provide any sensitive information or user credentials.