Recently, the Information Security Office has been alerted to an uptick in attempts to gather personal information from students via fake job offers purporting to be from research employment opportunities.
Here are some tips to help you sort out whether a job offer solicited via e-mail is legitimate or not (here’s a clue: they’re usually not).
- The employer contacted you and you never contacted them.
- The pay offered is above average for the position.
- Online interviews are conducted via instant messaging services.
- You are asked to provide confidential information either via e-mail or the creation of an account online.
- Payment is required to participate in the hiring process.
- There is a sense of urgency, or a time requirement for immediate action on your part.
- It just feels “off”.
If you receive suspicious e-mails like this, please alert the service desk via 919-962-HELP or help.unc.edu before taking any other actions.