General Guidance: Employment scams can happen through texts, emails, social media messages, and phone calls, including school email accounts. Please note that you must not pay to get any job abroad.

Many schools warn students about employment scam letter that comes as rewards, incentives, or tuition discounts. Scammers target international and exploit cultural and language barriers. Therefore, you should not allow desperation to get you into trouble.

What You Can Do When You Receive Suspicious Job Offers
1. You should ask friends and colleagues to review the contract or offer.

2. Google search the potential employer, location, and reviews.

3. You can use Google Maps to search for business locations.

4. Check the website for non-working links and other questionable information or redirecting.

5. Check for spelling and grammatical errors.

6. Check the profile picture of social media platforms. Many scammers use stock photos that do not relate to their industry.

How to Stay Protected from Job Scams
First-time job applicants have become the top targets of employment scams abroad. International students must pay attention to employment scam letters and email offers. Since you have a limited-period visa, don't be quick to accept offers that look suspicious. If you can detect the red flags, stepping away from employment scams becomes easier.

Scammers may call you to fill an urgent job opening with tall claims of salary and benefits as a student. To lure many students, they promise to allow them to work more than the stipulated student's work period for a week.

If the offer sounds too good, you should not accept the opening. We have listed some ways to avoid this type of fraudulent job offer. First published at https://pay4me.app/blog/168/employment-scam-a-guide-for-international-students

Conduct Background Research
Did you apply for the job? You should check the numerous forms you filled out and the jobs you applied. Legitimate recruiters may find your Linkedin profile to offer you jobs. However, they don't rush to give you a job with many questionable benefits. Therefore, you must do background research when you get an offer.

1. Are the contact details legitimate?

2. Is the vacancy mentioned on any other job site?

3. Can you find the recruiter on LinkedIn?

4. If you can’t verify the credentials, don’t respond.

Notice the Timelines
You don't have to join a job without due research because your visa has a time limit. Whether you receive an exclusive career service or a job that allows you to work throughout the clock, you don't have to make any payment to them. Don't allow pressure to work to make you get into trouble abroad.