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We always encourage you to take your time and exercise due diligence when sourcing and applying for roles. One of the best ways to protect yourself is by staying alert to common phishing scams. As a general rule of thumb: if an organization reaches out via text message without prior notice, offers you an interview without reviewing your application materials, or asks you to click on a link or communicate through a third-party platform, it’s advisable to avoid engaging or clicking any links.
If you’re unfamiliar with common scams, we recommend reviewing 10 Common Job Scams to Look Out for in 2025 by Caroline Castrillon of Forbes. It’s a helpful resource to build awareness and spot red flags.
It’s also a good idea to explore the various tools available to you through Duke OIT. They offer extremely valuable tips and support related to cybersecurity and safe online practices.
Always read the job description and online posting in detail whenever possible. In addition to assessing whether the role is a good fit for your goals, it’s equally important to make sure the employer is legitimate. If you are ever unsure please consider scheduling an appointment with a Career Advisor or trusted contact.
Source: Vetting an Organization for Fit
Keeping yourself safe online
Beyond finding the right fit, it is also important to make sure that an employer is legitimate. As you search for jobs and internships, you may encounter employment scams. A scam is an attempt to trick you into giving away money or personal information under false pretenses. In employment scams, scammers often pretend to be employers, asking you for a payment or personal information in exchange for a job. Many popular online job boards and websites do not verify whether job postings and employers are legitimate.
If you encounter a message or job offer that includes the following, it might be a scam:
- Job or internship offers that require you to make a payment before you can start working
- Job offers for positions you didn’t apply for
- Job postings that seem too good to be true, such as part-time remote jobs with high salaries (for example: “make $1,500/week for two hours of remote work”)
- Requests to provide your personal or banking information online or over the phone
If you receive a message or job offer that seems unusual, take the following steps:
- Do not respond to the message or job offer
- Do not click on any links in the message or job offer
- Protect your personal or banking information – do not send any personal information to someone you don’t know
- Reach out to a Career Advisor or other campus contact for help. Duke Career Advisors can help you verify job postings and employers
- If you encounter a job posting or message from an employer you aren’t familiar with, conduct thorough research on them. Review the employer’s website, read news articles about them, check employer review sites such as Glassdoor, and review any other external sources of information you can find about the employer.
- Never make a payment in exchange for a job or internship opportunity
If you suspect that you have received a fraudulent job offer, do not respond! Report it to a Career Advisor or another trusted contact
