Just Got a Job Offer? You’re Probably Getting Scammed

Suspicious Email in Question. Watch out!

Boston University prides itself on its Career Services department. And, as a senior ready to face the job market, it makes sense that I should sign up and  catch any alerts BU may have about that  dream career I hope crosses my path.

Recently, I got an e-mail (see picture) from LinkShare that said that Boston University had shared my information with them and they would like to connect me to a particular job. Mr. “Michael Ferguson” seemed eager for me to get back, but my red alerts were flashing: it wasn’t specific, it wasn’t personal, and I didn’t even know what the job entailed! The message reeked of Spam, so I promptly sent it to my “Delete” box.

Turns out, I was right. BUPD has just released a statement regarding this very e-mail. According to the statement:

The job/position involves the victim acting as a middleman whose job it is to receive business checks via Federal Express from a buyer and cash them using his or her own checking account and then to forward the money via Money Gram to a third party vendor.

Sounds interminably fishy, no? But, if you pursue further, you’re in for a whole heap of trouble.

Any victim that deposits these checks into their personal bank account will be notified by their bank that the checks are forgeries and will then be required to reimburse their bank.

In other news, this is very bad. It seems as though some scammers got into the BU  Careerlink database and tried to pass themselves off as a legitimate business. In any case, if you receive this e-mail, do not respond and e-mail Detective Kanavich at BUPD at bkanavic@bu.edu immediately. Also, keep alert about what’s in your inbox and don’t believe everything you read. Follow these steps and ensure you don’t get caught in a scam:

  1. If the email is from someone you do  not know, look for personal touches. If they’re not using your name, it’s almost definitely spam.
  2. Beware of sneaky links and attachments on unknown emails. Don’t click them, unless you want to get a huge amount of viruses.
  3. When in doubt, DELETE. If it’s real and important, they’ll email you again.

Keep an eye out and stay street-smart, readers!

About Lauren Hockenson

Lauren Hockenson (CAS/COM '11) is the co-founder and Editor-in-Chief of the Quad.

View all posts by Lauren Hockenson →

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