Job and Internship Scams Targeting College Students

Why Students Are Targeted

Scammers know college students need income and job experience, and many are applying for their first paid positions with no benchmark for what a legitimate offer looks like. Reports of job and business opportunity scams tripled between 2020 and 2024, and consumers lost $501 million to these scams over that period, according to the FTC . Scammers post fake listings on legitimate job boards and impersonate real companies, campus career offices, and even specific professors or staff members to seem credible.

The Fake Check Scam

A common version starts with a job offer that sounds too easy. You get hired for a vague role, sent a check to buy supplies or equipment, and asked to deposit it and send part of the money to a vendor or coworker. The check eventually bounces, days after you deposit it, and your bank holds you responsible for the full amount, including whatever you already sent out. Banks are required to make deposited funds available within days, but that does not mean the check has cleared, per the FTC .

Fake Remote and Flexible Jobs

Listings promising high pay for minimal work, flexible hours, and instant hiring with no interview target students looking for quick income around a class schedule. Scammers ask for personal information, a Social Security number, or bank details early in the process, before any real vetting would happen. Some ask you to buy your own equipment or pay for training upfront, a cost a legitimate employer never passes to a new hire.

Red Flags to Watch For

• A job offer arrives with no interview or a text-only interview

• The recruiter asks you to pay for training, equipment, or a background check

• You are asked to send money through Venmo, Zelle, or a gift card

• The job description stays vague no matter how many questions you ask

• Contact happens only through personal email or text, never a company domain

• The job posting has spelling errors, an unrealistic salary, or no company address findable online

Scams on Campus Job Boards

Scammers sometimes post directly on campus job boards or student employment portals using stolen branding from real companies, since students trust postings that appear inside an official school system. Report a suspicious listing to your career center immediately so staff remove it and warn other students. Appearing on a school job board does not make a posting automatically safe, so apply the same verification steps regardless of where you found the listing.

Multi-Level Marketing and Pyramid Schemes

Some offers marketed as flexible side income turn out to be multi-level marketing schemes that require you to buy inventory upfront and recruit other people to make money. Legitimate sales jobs pay you for selling a product to customers, not primarily for recruiting new sellers underneath you. Research any opportunity that asks you to pay money before you start earning, since this structure is a common warning sign. A legitimate employer never requires you to purchase inventory, a starter kit, or training materials as a condition of getting paid. If most of the pitch focuses on recruiting friends and classmates rather than describing an actual product or service, treat it as a warning sign rather than a real income opportunity.

How to Verify a Job Offer

Search the company name plus the word scam before you respond to any offer that feels rushed. Call the company directly using a phone number from its official website, not one the recruiter gave you, to confirm the position exists. Check with your school's career center, since many scams specifically impersonate that office to gain trust.

If You Think You Have Been Targeted

Stop all contact with the recruiter and do not deposit or forward any money. Report the scam to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and to your school's career services office so they warn other students. If you already sent money or shared personal information, contact your bank immediately and follow the recovery steps at IdentityTheft.gov .

Where to Find Legitimate Opportunities

Use your school's career center and its verified job board first, since postings there go through some level of screening. The Department of Labor's CareerOneStop site lists legitimate job search resources and connects you to state workforce agencies. Treat unsolicited job offers that arrive out of nowhere, especially through social media direct messages, with more caution than listings you sought out yourself.

Protecting Your Personal Information During a Job Search

Share your Social Security number and bank details only after you accept a verified, legitimate job offer, never during an initial application or interview. Use a separate email address for job applications to track where your information goes and spot phishing attempts more easily. Review privacy settings on job search platforms and social media so scammers have less personal information to use when building a convincing fake offer.