We want to alert students to be aware of emails they may receive about internship or employment opportunities. Phishing scams are on the rise and may come in via email, text, and phone calls. Your best line of defense is to not click on links within an email that you are at all suspicious of and never fill out any forms that you receive via email that ask for personal or financial information. Here are a few more tips to keep your information safe:
In the past few months, the campus Information Security Office has been receiving messages from students that have been involved in fraudulent job offers or internships. These messages appear to come from professors, using either spoofed email addresses or non-berkeley emails accounts that they claim is a personal account and contain subject lines like “Berkeley Students Part-time Job Position,” “STUDENT INTERNSHIP,“ or “VIRTUAL JOB OPPORTUNITIES.” From there, the criminals move the conversation away from email, usually asking to be texted on a mobile number or asking for the student to share a non-campus email or mobile number making it harder for our security team to track.
As part of their “employment,” students will be asked to order equipment or other items. They are told they will then receive a check to cover the order. The scammers will put a lot of pressure on the victim that they need to start ASAP, and have them order the equipment and pay for it via Zelle as soon as the check is deposited. Unfortunately, the check will not clear and the victim will be out the money paid via Zelle, and may also incur overdraft, late fees, or have their bank account closed.
To date, victims have lost more than $25,000, at an average loss of about $1,200 each, and these numbers only account for what has been reported to the Information Security Office. Recently, there were two incidents where quick-thinking students suspected something was not quite right and were able to put a stop to it before they lost any money. They did this by doing extra research including reviewing the anti-phishing materials such as the Phish Tank on the security website.
If you have been the victim of a scam please file a report with UCPD and report suspicious email to phishing@berkeley.edu or 510-664-9000 (option 4). If you have received one of these messages you can also help others by reporting it as a phish for our security team to research further.
SAMPLE OF INITIAL SCAM EMAIL
University of California, Berkeley
The faculty/department of Computer Science urgently needs undergraduates to work virtually as research assistants at $350 per week.
Note: Candidates should be proficient in Microsoft Office and have a solid understanding of its capabilities (Excel, Word, and PowerPoint).
Your job will be done remotely, and you can accomplish all remote
chores whenever it's convenient for you to do so. The position is open to all university undergraduates from all departments.
Please text Prof. Murat Arcak at if you would (510) 216-7076
like to continue with the application process. Please provide your
full name, email address, department, and year of study in order to
get the job description and other application requirements.
Best Regards,
C/O
Prof. Murat Arcak
Title: Professor
Department of Computer Science
University of California, Berkeley
P: (510) 216-7076
SAMPLE OF SCAN EMAIL FOLLOW UP
I need you to check online and get me the prices of Acer travelMate P648-M 14” Laptop, Brother MFC-L6700DW Laser Monochrome Printer, and Cosco Printer S 200 Self-inking Date Stamp, Kindly confirm once you have received this text.
Best Wishes
Professor: Thomas Dandelet
Department of History
University of California, Berkeley
SAMPLE OF FINANCIAL FRAUD FROM SCAM
Hello <VICTIM NAME>
As earlier discussed, attached is the paycheck to cover the expenses for the office supplies. A Sales Representative will be assigned to you and will assist you with the purchase of these items. However, you are required to return these supplies at the end of this position. You can also be allowed to keep these supplies for personal use to show gratitude for diligent work depending on how committed you are to this position. Kindly proceed to make a mobile deposit and inform me once completed for clearance. Further Assignments will be sent once the supplies are delivered. Kindly confirm via text once you have received this mail!
Kindly follow the instructions below to deposit your paycheck. Your paycheck covers your first salary and payment for the office items.
Print out and Cut it to a ( check size/shape ) At the back of your check
Endorse by writing Your
Full name
Mobile Deposit
Your account number
Sign.
Once you are done you make a mobile deposit
Best Regards,
C/O
Prof. Nicolas Tackett
Title: Professor
Department of History
University of California, Berkeley
ATTACHMENT:
Back Check.pdf(226 KB)