BMCC students and alumni should be aware of possible scams while they are searching for jobs. The Center for Career Development reviews all employer and job postings on Career Express. We highly encourage you to thoroughly review a company before applying to any position of interest on Career Express. If you are searching for jobs outside of Career Express, please follow the same vigilance in researching the company or ask the Center for Career Development for assistance.
Please keep in mind the following before providing personal information to an employer:
Money/Financial Information
- Do not give your personal bank account, PayPal, Venmo, Zelle account or credit card numbers to a new employer.
- Do not agree to have funds or paychecks direct deposited into any of your bank accounts or wallets before you have started working for them. Most employers give the option of direct deposit or a paycheck on the first day or week of actual employment, on site-not before.
- Do not forward, transfer, send by courier (e.g. FedEX, UPS) or “wire” any money/cryptocurrency to an employer or for an employer, using your personal account.
- Do not transfer money and retain a portion for payment.
Job Offers or Relief Funds
- Do not respond to suspicious and/or “too good to be true” unsolicited job emails/phone calls/texts/etc.
- In general, applicants do not pay a fee to obtain a job (but there are some rare exceptions-so be careful, and consult with a professional at the Center for Career Development first).
- Watch out for grammar and spelling mistakes.
- If the scammer is asking you to email another account or fill out a form that is outside of their business email account.
- Telling you have been hired for a job before submitting a resume, or have not been interviewed for a company that you do not remember applying to.
- Informing you won Relief Funds for education due to economic events
Job Interviews
- Do not meet an employer for an interview at a suspicious location and/or time.
- If you are going on a job interview, be sure to let a friend or family member know when, where, and with whom you are meeting. Provide your friend or family members the name of the company and the name of the person you are meeting, address of the interview, and company contact information such as a phone number and email.
Let us Know
Please report any suspicious or scam activity immediately to the Center for Career Development so that we can prevent others from being affected. Borough of Manhattan Community College and the City of New York makes no representations about the organizations that post job opportunities or the accuracy of the information provided by the organization on our site.
