It is important to be alert to scams that claim to offer job or income opportunities. Even if a potential opportunity appears to originate from another Pace community member, it is important to be vigilant and not respond to fraudulent messages. A common technique is for a scammer to offer an opportunity to earn money, such as walking a dog or being a secret shopper. A sign that the offer is fraudulent is that the email asks for your personal information, including your home address and phone number, to be sent to an email address referenced in the message. If you provide your address, you may receive a check at the address you provided that includes an over payment for the duties described in the job offer. The scammer wants you to deposit the check into your bank account and return the remaining over payment amount via a gift card purchase. The check will bounce and you will lose the money spent on the gift cards and/or any fees charged by your bank for the bounced check or fraudulent activity.
If you suspect that you have received such a message, please follow the below steps:
- DO NOT reply, provide any information, open any attachments, or click on any links.
- REPORT it by sending the spam/phishing email as an attachment to iso@pace.edu.
- DELETE the spam/phishing email from your Inbox and permanently remove it from your Deleted Items folder.
CONTACT the ITS Help Desk if you clicked on any link or opened any attachment.
Phone: 914-773-3333; Online: https://help.pace.edu; Email: pacehelpdesk@pace.edu