These occur when you receive an email from what appears to be a legitimate business offering you employment. As part of your "job" duties, you are sent a check from the company. Your employer asks you to deposit the check in your bank account. You are to keep some of the money for your pay and then distribute the remainder as instructed by your employer.
The scam is that the check or money order sent to you is fraudulent. When your bank rejects the funds from your "employer" you will have overdrawn your account and owe your bank fees and the funds deposited.
To avoid this scam:
- Remember that you cannot accept any on or off-campus employment without prior approval from an immigration coordinator at the Office of International Affairs.
- Never provide personal bank account information to anyone.
- Report all scams to local law enforcement and talk to an attorney at Student Legal Services or Ohio State Police if you suspect a scam.