Beware of job scams

University Police are investigating a case in which an employer allegedly asked a student to deposit a check into her personal bank account and make payments. The check turned out to be fake.

The student told police she applied for the job through the UTRGV Career Connection website. She notified the Career Center about the incident in which she was required to run errands and make payments from her personal bank account for her employer, according to an email from Juan Andres Rodriguez-Nieto, the center’s director.

In his email to The Rider, Rodriguez-Nieto said, the student was sent a check and asked to deposit it into her personal checking account and eventually write some checks.

However, when the student went to her bank and attempted to deposit the check, the cashier advised her it was fake, according to information released by UTRGV Police.

“The Career Center staff closed the position right away, and as soon as they learned that the check had been mailed to the student through the U.S. Postal Service, the Career Center contacted campus police and filed a report,” Rodriguez-Nieto wrote. “Campus police contacted the student and an investigation is underway.”

The Rider received a summary of the incident through the daily crime log released by University Police. This reporter asked for a copy of the report on March 8 but University Police denied the request, saying the case is under investigation. The newspaper then filed a public information request with UTRGV Chief Legal Officer Karen Adams last Thursday.

Career Services approves jobs posted by employers on its Career Connection website.

“Whenever an employer wants to go and post a position, we review those positions,” Rodriguez-Nieto said. “We make sure they are actually a legit business. So, a lot of times what we’ll do is we’ll look them up on the Internet. We look at their address. We Google them on Google Maps and make sure that is not a house. … We also make sure that the job descriptions and job duties are well defined.”

In this particular case, the posting was for an office assistant position. When the Career Center reviewed the post “everything seemed to be legit, but as the [employer] asked the student to deposit a check and write checks, it became suspicious,” Rodriguez-Nieto wrote in the email.

“Everything seemed to be legit, but as the [employer] asked the student to deposit a check and write checks, it became suspicious.” Juan Andres Rodriguez-Nieto Career Center Director

Career Services will be updating its website to include a section that warns students about fraudulent job postings. tips for those students who might be seeking a job through a job portal site: account number, PayPal account number or credit card information to a new employer; paychecks directly deposited into any accounts by a new employer.

(Arrangements for direct deposit or paycheck should be made during your first day or week of actual employment on site–not before); by courier (i.e. FedEx, UPS), or “wire” any money to any employer, or for any Rodriguez-Nieto offered the following
–do not give your personal bank
–do not agree to have funds or
–do not forward, transfer or send Everything seemed to be legit, but as the [employer] asked the student to deposit a check and write checks, it became suspicious. Juan Andres Rodriguez-Nieto employer, using your personal accounts;
–do not transfer money and retain a portion for payment;
–do not respond to suspicious and/or “too good to be true” unsolicited job emails;
–in general, Career Center Director applicants do not pay a fee to obtain a job (but there are some rare exceptions); and professional at the UTRGV Career Center.

To apply for a job through the Career Connection website, students must create a profile, which can be accessed through the myUTRGV site.

“They have to upload their résumé and include their skills and practically their employment history,” Rodriguez-Nieto said. “Once that’s been completed, they submit it and someone from Career Center will review it and approve it.”

To contact the center, call 665-2243 in Edinburg or 882-5647 in Brownsville.