As students begin their search for summer jobs, the Better Business Bureau is warning about the increasing prevalence of scam job postings.

Kristin Matthews of the BBB Atlantic says 25 to 34 year-olds are the most likely to be victimized by employment scams.

She states that one common scam involves “overpayment cheques.” Scammers hire victims for work-from-home positions and send them a cheque to purchase equipment. They then claim to have overpaid and ask the victim to return the excess amount via prepaid gift cards or wire transfer. Eventually, the victim realizes the cheque was fake and is left responsible for repaying the funds.

Matthews advises students to be cautious of aggressive employment offers that require immediate onboarding or payment for coaching, training, or equipment. They should avoid depositing unexpected or suspicious cheques and protect their personal information.

To avoid falling victim to summer job scams, Mathews advises students to be cautious of certain positions.

She says some positions are more likely to be scams, so be wary of generic job titles like administrative assistant, customer service representative, caregiver, and secret shoppers which don’t require much special training or knowledge. Scammers try to appeal to a wide range of applicants and, unfortunately, they use that to cast a wide net for potential victims.

Matthews recommends getting employment agreements in writing no matter what job you get, including details about requirements, qualifications, job duties, remuneration, and duration.