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Job Scams

Students are susceptible to receiving job scam emails. These emails are designed to trick students into applying for jobs that require students to provide personal information and potentially engage in criminal activity. Please confirm all employers and representatives with your university career services department before corresponding via email or phone.

If you have responded to an email regarding a job opportunity and you now suspect it to be a scam, please do the following:

1. Notify UHS Informatin Security at security@uh.edu or 832-842-4695. You will be asked to forward your PeopleSoft ID and any correspondence you have had with the scammer.

2. To help secure you information, ensure your PeopleSoft password security questions are set up and then reset your PeopleSoft and university account passwords.

3. Report the scam to your university police department. information them that INformation Security asked you to make the report.

There are many ways to identify a job scam email:

  • The email is unsolicited - you did not contact the company about the job. Legitimate companies do not send generic, unsolicited emails about job opportunities.
  • The email is from a Gmail, Yahoo, or Outlook address. Legitimate companies should email from their corporate email account. UH will not post jobs from employers that do not have corporate email accounts.
  • The email does not address you by name. The email may say your information was obtained from a job board, school database, or Career Services office. If so, they should address the email to you directly, rather than “Hello Student” or “Good Morning”.
  • They ask to continue the conversation with an alternative email, not your UH email. This prevents UH email protections from identifying the scam email.
  • They ask to continue the conversation by text. This makes the scam harder to document. Conversations about legitimate offers should be conducted by email.
  • They ask for personal information in an email or include a link to a Google docs form. Legitimate job opportunities require you to apply and provide your personal information in an official application on the company website.
  • The email contains grammatical or spelling errors. A very common attribute of scam emails is that they do not bother to spell check or grammar check their outgoing emails.
  • There is no contact information for the sender. Any legitimate email from a company’s Human Resources or Recruiting department should have a signature line with the sender's name, title, and contact information.
  • The email asks you to visit a non-UH website. UH will only ask you to visit the website for an official career center on campus.

If you receive an email that contains this type of information, delete it.  There is no need to respond.  If you ever have questions about whether or not an email is legitimate, forward it to security@uh.edu.

Protecting yourself from online job scams is crucial. Here are some cybersecurity tips specifically tailored to avoid falling victim to online job scams:

  • Research the Company: Always research the company offering the job. Check their website, verify their contact information, and look for reviews or feedback from other employees. Legitimate companies have an online presence, a physical address, and a track record.
  • Job Postings on Reputable Sites: Use established job search websites or platforms with a good reputation. Legitimate employers often post their job openings on well-known sites.
  • Question Unsolicited Emails: If you receive unsolicited job offers via email, be cautious. Ask yourself if you've applied to that company before. Legitimate companies typically don't cold-email job offers.
  • Check the Email Sender: Verify the email address the offer is coming from. Legitimate companies usually use their domain names in their email addresses. Be cautious if the email comes from a free provider or has a slightly altered domain.
  • Urgency and Unrealistic Promises: Beware of emails creating a sense of urgency or promising unrealistic benefits for minimal work. If it sounds too good to be true, it likely is.
  • Personal Information Requests: Legitimate employers generally do not ask for personal information like your bank details, social security number, or other sensitive data upfront in the initial stages of hiring.
  • Grammar and Spelling Errors: Pay attention to grammar and spelling in the emails. Scam emails often contain errors that give away their inauthenticity.
  • Different Communication Channels: If they ask you to communicate via a different email or messaging service, especially if they want to avoid using the company's official channels, it's likely a red flag.
  • Money Requests or Financial Transactions: Be extremely cautious if the employer requests any form of payment or asks you to deposit or transfer funds, especially in the name of job processing fees or equipment purchases.
  • Trust Your Instincts: If something feels off or suspicious, trust your instincts. Verify the legitimacy of the offer through other channels or by contacting the company directly using their verified contact information.
  • Report Suspicious Activity: If you suspect a scam, report it to the platform where you found the job posting, your local authorities, or relevant cybersecurity agencies.