Austin Community College District (ACC) has received several reports of a job email scam targeting students.

The email offers false internship opportunities and promises undergraduate students a remote position with flexible hours to help cover expenses. An example has been provided below:

Sample Fraudulent Email
Subject: FROM THE OFFICE OF JOB PLACEMENT AND STUDENT SERVICES- AUSTIN COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT
Dear student, 
In reference to the above subject Austin Community College will be hiring undergraduate students this week as Interns for a remote position. The aim of this position is to help struggling students cover expenses incurred here on campus. Tasks can be carried out at leisure, taking at most 1 hour per day, 7 hours a week with a weekly pay of $450 as compensation for services rendered.
It is a Flexible Opportunity where you will determine your working time. Since this is a “Remote” Position, tasks can be carried out from home or on campus. We are currently working on a Research that would require the services of Students (Graduate/Undergraduate) of any Department of the Institution to Obtain a Remote Position in this Research. 
Interested students, Kindly contact Tomas Jandik via email [email protected] stating your full name, email, department and year of study regarding the job description and further application requirements.
Please Note: Slots are Limited and Consideration will be given on a first come first serve basis.
Best regards.

Recognizing Phishing Emails

Email scams like this can be difficult to detect. You can recognize possible scams by looking for some of the classic signs of phishing emails:

• The tone of the email conveys a sense of urgency.
• The message is being sent from a non-ACC Gmail account and encourages contact with a non-ACC Gmail account. Any official communication from ACC would come from an austincc.edu email address. 
• The email contains grammatical errors.
• ACC does not have a department titled “Office of Job Placement and Student Services.”
• ACC will never request personal information, usernames, passwords, or money from you via email.  

If you receive this or any similar email, please do not respond.
Scammers typically ask respondents for financial information and may send an upfront check for students to deposit. The scammer often states the check is to be used for office supplies and may request a portion of the check back. The check then bounces and students are subject to financial penalties. 

Legitimate employers will not send payment in advance asking the employee to send a portion of it back. DO NOT provide any personal information, especially Social Security numbers or financial information.

What to do now?
If you receive this or a similar scam, DO NOT respond or click on any links. Please report suspicious emails by following the steps below: 

• Select the three dots next to the “reply arrow.”
• Select “Report Phishing” or “Report Spam.”
• The email will be reported to Google.
• Delete the email and empty your trash/recycle bin.

As a security precaution, we also recommend that you change your password to help protect your account. We encourage you to enable Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) on your account as well. Doing so will help secure your account.

Please notify your bank or financial institution immediately if you:

• Have been sent a check, 
• Provided any financial information, or
• Have already deposited the check.

 For assistance, students may contact the Student Help Desk. 

Students can also access resources and tips on identifying scams through the Job Scam Alert page on the Career Services website. 

If you see a job posting on Handshake that you suspect is a scam, please contact Career Services at [email protected] or 512-223-0399. 

Need help finding a legitimate job?
ACC’s Career Services department is here to assist you on your path to a successful career. If you would like help searching for a job, refining your resume, mastering interview skills, and more, click here to request an appointment with a Career Specialist. Visit austincc.edu/career for more information.

Tags: alert, Email Scam, IT security, phishing, phishing email