The UMBC Career Center works hard to ensure that employers recruiting through Handshake are legitimate. Handshake verifies employers and uses fraud detection tools, but no system is perfect. Unfortunately, scammers are becoming increasingly sophisticated and may attempt to impersonate legitimate employers through job postings, emails, text messages, or social media.
If you ever receive a job offer or communication that doesn't feel right, trust your instincts and contact the Career Center at careers@umbc.edu before responding.
🚩 Common Red Flags
Be cautious if an employer:
- Offers you a job without an interview.
- Wants to hire you immediately.
- Asks you to deposit a check or purchase equipment with company funds.
- Requests your Social Security number, banking information, or credit card before you've officially been hired.
- Asks you to send or receive money on the company's behalf.
- Uses a Gmail, Yahoo, Outlook, or other personal email account instead of a company email address.
- Has an email address that doesn't match the company's website.
- Offers unusually high pay for very little work.
- Has numerous spelling or grammatical errors.
- Asks you to communicate only through text messaging or encrypted apps.
Before You Apply
Take a few minutes to verify the employer.
✔ Visit the company's official website.
✔ Search online for the company name plus words like scam or reviews.
✔ Compare the contact email to the company's website.
✔ Google the phone number.
✔ Search for the position on the company's official careers page.
If something doesn't match, proceed with caution.
Protect Your Personal Information
Never provide the following personal information before verifying the employer and accepting a legitimate offer:
- Social Security Number
- Bank account information
- Credit card numbers
- Copies of your driver's license or passport
- Payment for training, equipment, or background checks
Legitimate employers do not ask candidates to send money in order to get hired.
Email & Phishing Scams
Scammers frequently impersonate:
- UMBC faculty or staff
- Well-known companies
- Recruiters
- Human Resources representatives
Remember:
- The "From" address can be spoofed.
- Always hover over links before clicking.
- Never click links or open attachments from suspicious emails.
- Be cautious if you're asked to reply to a different email than the sender's address.
- Forward the suspicious emails to security@umbc.edu.
If You Think You've Been Scammed
If you did not send money:
- Stop communicating with the individual immediately.
- Report the incident to the Career Center.
- Follow UMBC DoIT's recommendations if you shared university credentials.
- Consider notifying UMBC Police if appropriate.
If you did send money or shared financial information:
- Contact your bank immediately.
- File a report with the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3).
- Notify local or campus police.
- Continue monitoring your financial accounts for suspicious activity.
Report Suspicious Employers
If you encounter a suspicious job posting in Handshake, report the employer and email the Career Center (careers@umbc.edu).
Please include as much information as possible, including:
- Employer name
- Job title
- Job ID or posting link (if available)
- Emails or screenshots
- Any communication you received
The sooner we know, the sooner we can investigate and, if necessary, remove the employer and notify other students.
Remember
If a job sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
When you're unsure, ask. The Career Center is happy to review a job posting or email before you respond. We'd much rather answer a quick question than have a student become the victim of a scam.
Disclaimer
The UMBC Career Center makes every effort to provide students with access to legitimate employment opportunities. Employers recruiting through Handshake are subject to employer verification and platform fraud detection measures; however, no screening process can guarantee that all employers or job postings are free from fraud.
UMBC is not responsible for employers' representations or guarantees regarding job postings, compensation, working conditions, workplace safety, or other employment-related matters that may arise during or after employment.
If you encounter a suspicious job posting, employer communication, or believe you have been contacted by a fraudulent employer, please report it to the UMBC Career Center as soon as possible at careers@umbc.edu or 410-455-2216. Prompt reporting allows us to investigate, work with Handshake to remove fraudulent employers when appropriate, and notify other potentially affected students.