Although they are on average more qualified than their predecessors, young people often struggle to find work that brings them complete satisfaction. Difficulties that have not escaped cybercriminals. They post fake job offers online with the aim of stealing money or students’ personal data.
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This phenomenon is becoming particularly widespread in the United States, to the point of attracting the attention of the Federal Trade Commission. The American trade regulator recently published an article on its site for higher education students. He advises them to exercise caution if they come across a recruitment ad that is a little too tempting on the Internet, and particularly on social networks.
Students should be wary of job offers that promise rapid recruitment for an attractive and remunerative position. This could be, for example, a teleworking personal assistant position. Cybercriminals often mention this remote working method in their ads because they know how popular it is among young people. The latter see, in teleworking, an opportunity to carry out a paid activity while following their studies. “Many students are looking for online jobs that they can do while studying, but if a new employer sends you your first salary before you even start working, that’s a signal to stop », Indicates the Federal Trade Commission.
Because pseudo recruiters often invite students to purchase computer equipment before taking up a position. They offer to send them a check or make a bank transfer to make these purchases. The young people, taken into confidence, comply and reimburse the amount advanced to the recruiter, without suspecting that it is a scam. “The check (or bank transfer) will be stopped and the bank will ask you to repay the money you withdrew from your account. In the meantime, the scammer will have left with the money you sent him,” explains the American agency.
This is why you should not accept any remuneration from a future employer until the employment contract has been formally signed. Likewise, you must refrain from communicating your personal information (RIB, social security number, account or bank card number) to a so-called recruiter. This data can be misused for fraudulent uses.
The Federal Trade Commission has noticed that some cybercriminals are posing as university professors to boost their credibility and lull students’ vigilance. This is why she encourages them to contact the professor in question directly to ensure the legitimacy of the job offer they have received.
Young people are not the only target of cybercriminals specializing in false job offers. The US agency estimates that fraudulent recruitment ads cost Americans $450 million in 2023, according to Axios.
