Typically these scams offer jobs for a fee or offer to pay you to take a job. 

Tips to avoid being scammed:

• See what other people are saying about the company. Check the company’s reviews online (e.g., search on Google) and with the Better Business Bureau. 

• Do they have a website? Does it look legitimate?  Do they have contact information easily available?

• Look for typos and other errors in correspondence from companies looking to hire you. Legitimate companies typically have polished correspondence.

• Be cautious of companies willing to hire you without an interview or pay you before you’ve actually worked for them.

• Do not send money to a company that wants to hire you. A legitimate company will never ask you to pay them.

Check scams are often associated with employment scams but can occur in other contexts (e.g., selling merchandise).  In this crime, the scammer sends you a check and asks you to send back some or all of the money after you've deposited it in your bank account.  Banks make deposited funds available within days, but fake checks can take weeks to uncover. In the meantime, you've sent funds back to the scammer, and now you are responsible for that amount because the bank discovers the initial check is fraudulent.

Tips to avoid being scammed:

• Never take a check for more than your selling price.

• If you are selling online, consider using an online payment service.

• If you do receive a check, make sure it clears and that the funds are available before refunding any amount.

The scammer pretends to be someone else in order to gain trust and then typically asks for personal information or money.

• Tips to avoid being scammed:

  • If you get a call or message involving money or purchasing gift cards, independently contact the entity the requestor is claiming to be (e.g., your school’s financial aid office, the IRS, a professor, etc.). Make sure you've gathered that contact information through your own research.

Be wary of too good to be true apartment and textbook prices. It may be tempting to hand over credit card information to lock in a great deal.

Tips to avoid being scammed:

• Only purchase products from reputable sites (for textbooks).

• See apartments in person or via a real-time video walkthrough. 

• Do not hand over rent or a security deposit until you’ve signed a lease (application fees to cover background checks are acceptable).

• Be wary if the rent is too good to be true (well below market value).

• Is there no screening process?  Professional landlords typically screen tenants (requiring an application and credit check).

Many scams include offers that guarantee a reduction or total elimination of loan payments or ask you to pay to receive help with securing financial aid.

Tips to avoid being scammed:

• Avoid offers that seem too good to be true because they probably are. 

• Avoid offers that ask you to pay for services immediately (claiming that you'll risk losing out on “special” scholarships or financial aid packages).

• Research the organization through the Better Business Bureau.

• When in doubt, talk to your financial aid office for advice.

There are a number of types of BEC scams. The key concept is that the attacker poses as someone the recipient should trust (typically a colleague, professor, vendor, etc.). The sender will then ask the recipient to make a wire transfer, purchase gift cards, divert payroll, and so on. 

Fake charities are especially prevalent after high-profile disasters but can happen at any time.

When credit or debit cards are used without consent.

Older adults are often targeted by scammers.  Some common elder scams include technology support, Government impersonation, sweepstakes, family emergency scams, etc.

Online scams often ramp up during the holiday season. Beware of imposter shopping sites, postal delivery scams, etc.

This involves purchasing a questionable or nonexistent investment.

Fake litters of puppies are posted online and offered for sale. Unfortunately, scammers take your money and you never receive the puppy or any further communications in return.

These scams are relatively low-tech and focus on the human element rather than complicated hacking techniques. This often includes trying to influence, manipulate, and/or deceive a person to gain control of their computer and/or personal information.

There are a variety of different tax scams. Some include threats that intimidate and bully people into paying a fake tax bill. If you do not comply, they may even threaten to arrest or deport you. Other scams involve trying to collect your personal, sensitive information that can be used to commit fraud.

For a list of recent tax scams and alerts, visit the IRS Tax Scam/Consumer Alerts webpage.

These schemes are aimed at tricking you into providing sensitive information such as your social security number or passwords.  Read more on our phishing page.