College summer job search ripe for fraud

Beauford Parish was anticipating the end of his spring semester, so he started looking online for a summer job. He found an ad on a college employment website that sounded interesting. Parish applied and received numerous emails that listed the steps he needed to take before he could begin work. The “employer” told him he had to purchase materials but they’d send Parish a check to cover the purchase of the materials and software plus $500, which he could keep as his first paycheck. He was then to deposit the check in his personal checking account. Parish was instructed to withdraw the funds and wire a portion to an individual or “vendor” to pay for the materials and software who’d then send them to Parish. Two weeks later, Parish received a double whammy. He never got the materials and software, plus his bank called to say that the check had bounced, and he needed to cover the lost funds. Hello! Parish was a victim of a college employment scam.

Easy money but not for college students

College student employment scams have been common for many years and continue to proliferate because of their profitability. Students learn about these fraudulent “job opportunities” by visiting college employment websites at which fraudsters post phony ads or send via emails to their school accounts.