Multiple UC Davis students have reported being on the receiving end of an email scam involving “professors” offering job opportunities.
“The alleged professor offers a job to the student that requires them to receive a (fake) check, deposit it, sometimes buy gift cards, and then wire remaining money back to the suspect,” UCD police said in a crime alert issued Thursday.
Police say the fake checks aren’t immediately detected by banks and appear to be processing while the victims continue to follow instructions of sending money/goods. Only too late do they learn the checks are rejected, and the victims have used their own funds to enrich the suspect.
Some tips to avoid becoming a victim:
* Don’t give personal information — people may be posing as government officials (IRS) or a trusted company (banks, Apple, etc.)
* Don’t deposit checks received and wire money back as requested by alleged employer. The check is likely fake and takes days for banks to detect.
* Consider how you are paying someone. Wiring services (Western Union or MoneyGram) and gift cards are not protected and are difficult to track, while credit cards have fraud protection.
* Be careful of clicking unexpected links received via email and text. Perform online searches of the company or messages you received.
* If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
