What is a job offer scam?
Legitimate-looking emails, some impersonating U-M faculty/departments, may offer you a fake job or internship in order to try to scam you out of money or steal your personal information.
How it Works
They hook you: A job offer scam usually starts with an email offering you a job or internship. Great pay! Remote work! They don’t even ask you to interview. It seems too good to be true.
They build trust: The email may include the name of a real U-M professor or department to appear legitimate.
They pressure you: Limited opportunity! Act now! They convey a sense of urgency to get you to act without thinking carefully. Pause and consider – legitimate organizations don’t offer employment in unsolicited emails.
They scam you out of money or personal information (in email or follow up texts):
- They ask you to process a check that turns out to be fake (you are stuck owing money to your bank). Learn more about Fake Check Scams (FTC).
- They ask you to make payments using gift cards or a money transfer service (e.g. Zelle), purchase computing equipment, or buy software licenses for the job.
- They may try to get you to share personal information, such as your social security number or driver’s license number.
What to Watch Out For
Fraudulent Email Red Flags
Look for signs that the email is fraudulent:
- The "from" field contains the name of an actual U-M professor but the sending email address is incorrect. The email may use the real name, title, contact information of the faculty member in the signature or other areas to make it seem legitimate.
- The sending email address may be spoofed. Learn How to Spot a Spoof on Safe Computing. For example, an email address that looks close to a real U-M address may be used (i.e., if the real professor’s address is [email protected], the fake account might be [email protected]).
- The “reply-to” address may be different from the “from” address.This way the sender address looks legitimate, but the replies to it will go to the scammer, rather than to the person they are impersonating. Always check the reply-to field before replying to email. Generally, legitimate email from an individual will have matching reply-to and from addresses.
- The email message may be personalized with your name in the salutation to try to gain your trust.
Scam Tactics
Watch for commonly used tactics:
- Requests to deposit checks and spend or send back some or all of the money. Learn more about Fake Check Scams (FTC).
- The sender provides what appears to be a real check (may look like it’s from U-M).
- The scammer will instruct you to use “mobile deposit” or ATMs to deposit the check as bank branches will not accept checks printed at home from email.
- Your bank will credit you for some or all of the check, but when the check proves to be fake, you are stuck with the loss for whatever money you spent. Do not respond to requests to print or cash checks.
- Requests for purchases of equipment or payment (particularly through a money transfer service or prepaid/gift cards). A real offer of employment or request for assistance from U-M faculty or staff should not ask you to make payments or purchases.
- Requests to make contact by text or non-UM email address. Frequently, the scammer will email someone's U-M address, but then ask them to switch to text or a non-UM account.
- The job offer is unsolicited and it doesn't follow the normal U-M employment process. Job offers for students should follow the process on the Student Employment Office site for the UM-Ann Arbor campus and the University of Michigan Careers site for the UM-Dearborn and UM-Flint campuses. You should never be asked to send personal information through text or email.
How to Protect You and U-M
- Do not reply.
- Look for signs that the email is fraudulent. See Spot Phishing & Scams for more details.
- Verify the sender's identity.
- Do not reply through the suspicious message or by using the contact information provided in it.
- Look up that sender's contact information in the MCommunity directory, then email or call them yourself using directory information.
- Verify the identity even if they are someone you know, but the message seems suspicious.
- Report Phishing & Email Abuse to [email protected]. Your reports help us help the rest of the U-M community.
If you are concerned that you have given personal information or payment to someone attempting to scam you:
- File a police report. If you are on campus, contact the University of Michigan Police Department at 734-763-1131.
- See our Identity Theft page if your personal information was compromised.
- See our Compromised Accounts page if you believe your U-M or other accounts have been compromised.
- See What To Do if You Were Scammed (FTC) for information on what to do if you were scammed out of money or personal information.
Scam Email Examples
Please note that to protect the privacy of faculty, staff, and students, actual names and uniqnames may be removed or replaced with generic terms or marked as redacted.
Example 1: Initial contact email.
From: Name redacted <[email protected]>
Date: Thu, Jul 4, 2024 at 8:20 AM
Subject: University of Michigan: Remote Assistant or Intern Positions Available
To: Name redacted <[email protected]>
The University of Michigan is urgently seeking students to fill remote Assistant or Intern positions. Eligible students will receive a weekly compensation of $380.00 for their services. This opportunity is open to students from any department within the institution. Positions are limited, and applications will be considered on a first-come, first-served basis.
To apply, please contact Professor, [Professor name redacted] via email at [[email protected]]. Include your full name, email address, year of study, and department in your message to receive the job description and further application instructions.
Best regards,
[U-M professor’s name redacted]
[School where the U-M professor teaches]
[Marketing taglines from the U-M school]
University of Michigan
Example 2: A follow-up email attempting check fraud.
Attached herein is a check . Have both front and back of the check printed out, cut into a check size/shape and at the back of the check endorse by writing your
NAME
ACCOUNT NUMBER
FOR MOBILE DEPOSIT ONLY
then YOUR SIGNATURE.
Once done, proceed to make a mobile deposit via your bank app on your cell phone..
Kindly send to us a screenshot of the confirmation of deposit when done for record purposes. Thanks
Note: Print out the front and the back, then endorse it with your name. IT IS FOR MOBILE DEPOSIT ONLY.
[professor's name]
Title of Professor
Area of Professorship
Departmental Title of the Professor
U-M School where professor teaches
University of Michigan