Friday, January 23, 2015
Wednesday, January 14, 2015
FBI WARNS OF FICTITIOUS 'WORK-FROM-HOME' SCAM
FBI WARNS OF FICTITIOUS 'WORK-FROM-HOME' SCAM TARGETING UNIVERSITY STUDENTS
Here’s how the scam works:
- The student is asked to provide his/her bank account credentials under the guise of setting up direct deposit for his/her pay.
- The scammers will add the student’s bank account to a victim employee’s direct deposit information to redirect the victim’s payroll deposit to the student’s account.
- The student will receive the payroll deposit from the victim’s employer in the victim’s name.
- The student will be directed to withdraw funds from the account and send a portion of the deposit, via wire transfer, to other individuals involved in the scam.
Consequences of Participating in the Scam:
- The student’s bank account will be identified by law enforcement as being involved in the fraud.
- The victim employee has his/her pay stolen by the scammers utilizing the student’s bank account.
- Without the student’s participation, the scam could not be perpetrated, so he/she facilitated the theft of the paycheck.
- The student could be arrested and prosecuted in federal court. A criminal record will stay with the student for the rest of his/her life and will have to be divulged on future job applications, which could prevent the student from being hired.
- The student’s bank account may be closed due to fraudulent activity and a report could be filed by the bank.
- This could adversely affect the student’s credit record.
Tips on how to Protect Yourself from this Scam:
- If a job offer sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
- Never accept a job that requires the depositing of funds into your account and wiring them to different accounts.
- Look for poor use of the English language in e-mails such as incorrect grammar, capitalization, and tenses. Many of the scammers who send these messages are not native English speakers.
- Never provide credentials of any kind such as bank account information, login names, passwords, or any other identifying information in response to a recruitment e-mail.
- Forward these e-mails to the university’s IT personnel and tell your friends to be on the lookout for the scam.
- This could adversely affect the student’s credit record.
If you have been a victim of this scam, you may file a complaint with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center atwww.IC3.gov. Please reference this PSA number in your complaint.
The IC3 produced a PSA in May 2014 titled “Cyber-related Scams Targeting Universities, Employees, and Students,” which mentioned this scam. The PSA can be viewed at http://www.ic3.gov/media/2014/140505.aspx.
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