Career Success Guide

Fraudulent Employers & Postings Career Services acts as a connector between employers posting job and co-op opportunities and students and alumni searching for opportunities. The information shared below is not comprehensive and defnite. It has been compiled to help you be aware of scam job postings and opportunities in an attempt to assist in your job search. Remember, if an opportunity sounds too good to be true, it almost certainly is. Trust your instincts. You are encouraged to consult with the Career Services ofce if you need any assistance in applying to a position, including the legitimacy of a company or opportunity. Best practices in protecting yourself and sensitive information: • Never provide your credit card, bank account PIN, or other fnancial information over the phone or online • Do not share your Social Security number or date of birth over the phone • Provide sensitive information only through secure, formal processes (such as written forms or in-person verifcation) • Know who you are sharing your information with and how it will be used • Obtain the person’s name, company name, and contact info before sharing anything Remember! Never apply to or take actions on a suspicious opportunity.

Potential Red Flags Employer Contacts: • Email does not exist, is different than the company they represent, is similar but not an exact match to a legitimate company, or is a personal account • Address and area code do not match • Phone number is not valid, not available, or is disconnected • Inconsistencies in employer profle such as: short/incomplete description, no actual website, inaccurate industry. • Emails sent from several different email accounts • Asks you to provide personal fnancial information, forward payment, or money • Offers you a sizable payment or reward to use your bank account • Sends you an unexpectedly large check, typically on a Friday • Asks you for a photo of yourself • Responds to you almost immediately afer submitting a resume • Calls you by phone without a way to call them back • Tells you there isn’t an ofce in your area and you need to start one Job Opportunities: • Salary offered is unrealistically high for job requirements or amount of work • Position contains many spelling and grammatical errors • Position does not mention the actual job responsibilities or does so vaguely, instead focuses on the money you could make • Work-from-home opportunity • Asks you to provide personal fnancial information, forward payment, or money • Requires an initial investment of money • Suggests easy access to top level managers, like CEO’s, as a student • Job is for an exciting, new small startup company and you can get in on the ground level • Appears to be an actual position, but reveals it could be an independent contractor opportunity • Employer offers you a job without a face to-face or professional video interview Actions to Take Research the company, contact, email or other information provided, like: • Websites such as: Better Business Bureau, Chamber of Commerce, Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Ripoffreport, and others • Google company name with the word “scam” in the phrase • Check major networking sites like LinkedIn and Facebook • Industry research: buzzfle.com, Hoover’s • Reach out to a Career Coach to help gather information If You’ve Been Scammed • Immediately contact UW-Stout Polytechnic Career Services: 715-232-1601 • Immediately contact UW-Stout Polytechnic Police: 715-232-2222 • If you did send money: immediately contact your credit card company or bank and close the account or stop the payment • If the scam occurred online: fle a report with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) via their complaint system (reportfraud.fc.gov)

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