Beware of phishing scams targeting job seekers

[Mark Mastrean]

As noted recently by Tobi Hay, the campus community is seeing a wave of
phishing scams attempting to exploit job searches. They often take the form
of targeted email or text messages designed to get victims to engage and
establish a rapport.

The messages start out as basic greetings or promises of job opportunities.
Example scam greetings are:

   1. "Please see attachment for assistantships Position"
   2. "Congratulations! You're Hired"
   3. "Congratulations to you on your new job, I had to verify all the
   information you provided. I hope to have your 100% loyalty
   and co-operation."

They might claim that you would be a great fit for their position and that
they represent a real business with a good reputation. They then ask you to
contact them for an interview via Google Hangouts or another video chat
service.

The messages progress to requests for money, data, or action from you, the
intended victim. Their goal is to steal data, money, or both.

*How to Protect Yourself from Employment Scams*

   1. Be cautious about all communications you receive. Unless you’re
   absolutely sure about the source of a communication, do not respond to it.
   Delete it. You can also forward it for review by our information-security
   team at: phishing at plattsburgh.edu.
   2. For the job offers, check the job posting. If a person claims to
   represent a reputable company, visit the official website and look for the
   job posting before agreeing to anything, especially to an interview. If you
   can’t find it, it’s probably a scam.
   3. Be wary of unusual procedures. No real company would ask you to pay
   money to receive a job offer, nor would they send you a check before you’ve
   completed any work or overpay you for supplies and ask you to send back
   part of the money.
   4. Watch out for generic job offers. Jobs that are very general are
   among the most likely to be scams. Another red flag would be the same job
   description posted for different companies on many websites.

Should you have any questions about phishing scams or any other
cyber-security issue, please feel free to contact me.

Best regards,

Symen Mulders
Information Security Analyst / Information Security Committee Chair
Phone: 518-564-2459
muldersb at plattsburgh.edu Symen Mulders
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