Avoiding Fraudulent Opportunities
The Center for Life’s Work posts jobs and internships that are shared with our office using our Handshake website. We make reasonable efforts to assure these opportunities are legitimate (see description below of the steps we take to ascertain if an employing organization is bona fide) but it is the responsibility of students and alumni to perform due diligence in researching employers when applying for or accepting private, off-campus employment and to thoroughly research the facts and reputation of each organization to which they are applying. To assist with this, we suggest students consult the website below. Use common sense and caution when applying for or accepting any position.
Tips to Consider
Carefully examine the job posting.
Consider the following warning signs and tips when carefully examining the job posting.
- The posting should not include many spelling and grammatical errors.
- The posting appears to be from a reputable, familiar company (often a Fortune 500), but the contact's email address does not match the domain used by representatives of the company (typically easy to determine from the company's website). Another way to validate is to check the open positions on the company's website, by checking their careers/jobs page.
- The contact email address contains the domain @live.com or an @ that is not affiliated with the company. Example: @gmail, @yahoo, @hotmail, etc.
- Look at the company's website. Does it have an index that tells you what the site is about; or does it contain information only about the job in which you are interested? Scammers often create quick, basic web pages that seem legitimate at first glance.
- When you Google the company name and the word "scam" (e.g., Acme Company Scam), the results show several scam reports concerning this company. Another source for scam reports is Rip-off Report.
- Google the employer's phone number, fax number, and/or email address. If it does not appear connected to an actual business organization, this is a red flag. You can use the Better Business Bureau and Hoovers.
Don't give out personal information.
- You should not be asked to provide your social security and driver's license information in the initial application.
- Be hesitant if the position requires an initial investment, such as a payment by wire service or courier.
- Be cautious if the employer tells you that they do not have an office set up in your area and will need you to help them get it up and running (these postings often include a request for your banking information, supposedly to help the employer make transactions).
Sounds too good to be true.
- The "organization" offers a high hourly rate or salary.
- Or the salary range listed is very wide (e.g., "employees can earn from $40K – $80K the first year!").
- The GPA the "organization" requires is very low.
- The posting neglects to mention the responsibilities of the job. Instead, the description focuses on the amount of money to be made.
- The interview is conducted online, via chat and an offer is given almost immediately.
If You Discover You Have Been Scammed
- If you have encountered a fraudulent posting, company or organization, please contact the Center or Life's Work at 585-389-2878 or careers@naz.edu so the posting can be investigated and appropriate action can be taken.
- Contact the local police if you have shared banking information and/or social security number. The police are responsible for conducting an investigation (regardless of whether the scam artist is local or in another state).
- If you have sent money to a fraudulent employer, contact your bank and/or credit card company immediately to close the account and dispute the charges.
- If the incident occurred completely over the internet, file an incident report with The United States Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission.
Vetting Potential Opportunities
Every day approximately 50 new employers request Handshake accounts and permission to post jobs. We utilize the following strategies to review each request and do our best to ensure that the employers we approve are legitimate and established organizations.
Basic Vetting
- Determine if there are any flags posted by other colleges or students in the Handshake system that note fraudulent or questionable interviewing or hiring practices of the employer.
- Check to see if the employer lists a full address with a street number and not a P.O. box or only city/state.
- Compare the e-mail and web address provided by the employer with that found on the Internet for discrepancies.
Advanced Vetting
Advanced Vetting - When circumstance suggest additional investigation is warranted.
- Review the organization's website to determine if it is functioning and fully constructed, and if there are more than 1-2 staff members listed as contacts.
- Review the organization's overview/summary for typos and grammatical errors.
- Determine if the employer charges a fee to provide internships or jobs, or an initial upfront investment from new hires (especially for finance opportunities).
- Determine if the employer's industry and recruiting interests are in-line with the majors and career interests of our students.
- Google the company name and the word “scam” (e.g., Acme Company Scam), and determine if the results show reports concerning the company.
Internship Postings
Internships that appear in Handshake are not pre-approved for internship credit. All experiences in Handshake have been vetted by a third-party provider to ensure the safety and validity for users.
All internships must be approved by your program advisor and/or the Assistant Director of Internships prior to registering your experience for credit. To learn more about the approval and internship registration process, please visit Register and Earn Credit.
Disclosure Statement
Nazareth College Center for Life's Work does not make any representations or warranties about the employers that utilize their Handshake site or the accuracy of the information provided by those employers. The Center for Life's Work shall not be responsible for any damage or loss of any kind arising out of or related to your use of the site and/or the information contained therein. While there is nominal screening of postings, it is the responsibility of each user to do his or her due diligence before interviewing with or accepting an offer from any company posting a job or internship listing on this site. If you have questions or need guidance or advice on how to conduct effective research on organizations or opportunities, please contact the Center for Life's Work at 585-389-2878.