International students in the United States are increasingly falling victim to job scams taking advantage of their lack of familiarity with the local job market. In recent years, reports of scams targeting international students have risen significantly, with many losing significant amounts of money to false job offers.
A recent ongoing scam involves fake entities offering internships masquerading as real companies. They primarily operate through Facebook and Instagram ads which redirect to a careers site that looks the same as the original company. The student is asked to fill in his details, demographics, resume, and college I20 to prove his candidature in college. They extract the SEVIS ID of the student and create a fake identity out of his details and misuse it for illegal or unlawful activities. A recent encounter with one of such ads provides me an insight into how scammers operate for identity theft.
Another common scam involves companies offering paid internships but requiring the student to pay an upfront fee for visa processing or training. These companies take the fee and disappear, leaving the student without a job or a visa. Also, sometimes the student is asked to deposit a check into their personal bank account and then asks for bank details of him. Those details and the candidate’s professional details were used to create another bank account in his name, where the scammers use this account for money laundering or illegal operations, and the student is left responsible for the transferred funds.
So, International students should exercise caution when considering job offers that seem overly generous, require advance payments, or request sensitive information such as bank account details, social security numbers, or SEVIS ID. Students should immediately report the incident instantly to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and have to consult with their university's career center or international student office for advice to take legitimate action against scammers before becoming victims of Identity theft, Money laundering, etc,
To crack down on these scams, The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) are investigating these scams, but solely the students must take responsibility for their safety by thoroughly researching job offers before accepting them.
A final word, international students in the United States or anywhere else must be aware of the job scams targeting them and take necessary precautions to avoid falling victim to them. By being vigilant and seeking advice from trusted sources such as university career centers, and government agencies, students can protect themselves from these scammers and secure legitimate job opportunities.
References:
Better Business Bureau. (2019, June 7). Job Scams Targeting International Students. Retrieved from https://www.bbb.org/article/news-releases/17600-job-scams-targeting-international-students
Federal Bureau of Investigation. (2021, August 12). Job Scams Targeting International Students. Retrieved from https://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/job-scams-targeting-international-students
Federal Trade Commission. (2020, May 13). Job Scams Targeting International Students. Retrieved from https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2020/05/ftc-warns-international-students-job-scams
National Association of Colleges and Employers. (2022, February 10). Protecting International Students from Job Scams. Retrieved from https://www.naceweb.org/career-readiness/protecting-international-students-from-job-scams/.