Avoid Job Scams and Fraudulent Employers

If you think you have encountered a fraudulent job or employer?

Reach out to the Career Development Office at cdo@pomona.edu

With the increase of savvy technology and communications, we want to raise awareness on job scams and fraudulent employers. Below are tips on how to avoid common pitfalls as well as resources in case you think an opportunity is fake or fraudulent. If you believe an opportunity is fake or fraudulent, cease all communication immediately!

Tips to Identify a Fraudulent Job or Employer

Unusual Forms of Communication

  • Reach out to you via text or phone call.
  • Email you “on behalf” of a Pomona College faculty or staff member.
  • Connect with you via a social media platform without any prior engagement.

Unrealistic Promises and Expectations

  • Salary and pay range seem to be exaggerated and too good to be true.
  • They pressure you to respond immediately.
  • The person/company is requesting you to pay a fee to apply for a job or training.

Questionable Legitimacy of Company/Employer

  • Company email is from a public email service (e.g., Gmail, Yahoo, etc.).
  • There is no website attached to the employer or the website seems vague.
  • Consistent misspellings and poor grammar throughout their messaging.

Requesting Confidential and Personal Information

  • A person or company is asking for a credit card or bank account.
  • You have yet to go through a formal hiring process and they are requesting your social security number, home address, etc. right away.

Although these are common ways to identify a scam or fraudulent employer, please know that this does not encompass all the possible ways you can fall victim to a scam.

What You Can Do

Research, Research, Research!

  • Review the employer’s website, location, email and/or phone for legitimacy
  • Search the employer on Ripoff Report
  • Learn about other common and sophisticated forms of fraud and scams from the Federal Bureau of Investigation

Ask Questions and Trust Your Intuition

  • Is the salary and pay range too good to be true?
  • Is the job posting or employer asking for personal and confidential information?
  • Are you being asked to pay a fee to apply for the job or to fund your own training?

If you think you have encountered a fraudulent job or employer? Reach out to the Career Development Office at cdo@pomona.edu

Reporting & Additional Resources

Need to report a fraudulent email to your Pomona email?
Reach out directly to Pomona College ITS at servicedesk@pomona.edu You can also report the incident to the Federal Trade Commission at ReportFraud.ftc.gov