Spring Break can’t come soon enough for most college students.
But for Tammy of Ohio, this time of year is a difficult reminder of what happened to her 19-year-old daughter, a college student at Clark Atlanta University.
“She learned an expensive lesson,” Tammy said. “If it seems too good to be true – question it.”
When she was 18 and preparing for spring break, Tammy’s daughter, whose name we will keep confidential, found a job on social media.
Tammy told Spanning the Need the person sent her daughter a check for $1,400. It looked legitimate. All she had to do was deposit the check and send back $400. The rest would be her payment to keep.
So she deposited the check, sent back the $400 and started spending the money.
Then, her bank told her the check was fake. Tammy’s daughter was out of $1,400.
Because she was a minor when the bank account was opened, the financial institution told Tammy she owed $1,000.
“I was upset because I thought her father and I had warned her about scams and stuff,” Tammy said.
“I felt like I failed her. It’s heartbreaking as a parent, and all the money that she had earned is now gone.”
That’s why Melissa Ames, the president and CEO of the Better Business Bureau in Youngstown, advises college students to research jobs and businesses before committing, from looking into a recruiter’s references to viewing their websites, which should be established.
“Contact the organization: Say ‘Hey, I was approached by so and so. Does this person work for you?” Ames said. “If you can’t find a website, if you can’t find a social media presence, if they’re not on LinkedIn, then that’s probably a red flag that this is somebody you don’t want to be dealing with.”
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Ames said scammers often use Gmail or Yahoo email addresses, and their messages don’t match the domains of organizations they claim to represent. Another red flag.
But the biggest red flag is if they ask for money.
“Oftentimes scam artists will ask for money via CashApp or prepaid debit cards or some form of wire transfer service.” Ames said. “Once you send it, there’s no way to recoup the money.”
Also, college students should never share personal information such as a social security number. If an employer wants to hire you, they should have a conversation with you.
“They’re just prime victims. Going out and actually applying for your first career job, it can be intimidating and very new for them and because they’re so green, it can leave a lot of opportunity for scammers to come in.” Ames said.
And if you’re a victim of this scam, depending on what was given to the bad actor, Ames recommends checking your credit report to search for unusual transactions. She also recommends placing a credit freeze on accounts to prevent identity theft.
