Spotting a Fraudulent Employer

Your safety and success in the job search process are our top priorities. While we carefully vet employers before they post opportunities on our job board, it’s important to remain vigilant and recognize the warning signs of fraudulent postings.

Below, you’ll find a list of key tips to help you identify potential fraud, safeguard your personal information, and ensure you’re pursuing legitimate opportunities.

Red flags to spot a fraudulent employer:

• You received a random email, or check, out of nowhere
• The job only says that they need help, but there are no specific tasks or duties
• The employer will only communicate via text or email but will not speak on the phone or meet in-person
• The employer does not use a company email address, but communicates using a personal account and typically with poor grammar or spelling
• They are sending you money without meeting in-person
• You do not sign any formal hiring paperwork
• They require that you purchase materials, software, equipment, etc. to begin your role
• The employer indicates that they need a “virtual assistant”
• The salary for the position is much higher than you might anticipate – for example, if they are advertising $30-$50 per hour to work “whenever you want,” that is likely not a legitimate offer.

Action steps to take if you are contacted by a fraudulent employer:

• Do NOT deposit any random checks that you receive in the mail without potential verification. Bring your suspicious checks to the bank to deposit, bank tellers are trained to identify fake checks
• Report potential fraudulent @ufl.edu emails to abuse@ufl.edu and notify the Career Connections Center at HireGators@ufsa.ufl.edu to assist with the tracking of frequency
• If you have already lost money file a police report with the University Police Department.