Warning for high school, college students: Be wary of job postings that could be scams

MADISON -- Wisconsin officials are warning high school and college students to be wary of job postings that could be scams.

While there are plenty of opportunities posted for students seeking temporary work statewide, officials say blended among the legitimate listings may be a wealth of fake job ads posted by scammers looking to empty job seekers’ pockets and steal their personal information.

Officials from the Wisconsin Departments of Workforce Development (DWD) and Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) are asking students to be extremely suspicious of questionable job postings, particularly those that seem “too good to be true” or that ask for upfront payment.

DWD operates JobCenterofWisconsin.com, the state's free, 24-hour online public labor exchange that connects talent with opportunity and currently has over 95,000 job postings.  While DWD strives to validate the identity of all employer representatives who post jobs directly on the site, users are also advised to use caution if they opt to search external sites from JobCenterofWisconsin.com.

JobCenterofWisconsin.com includes a list of cautions, including many that are applicable to any online employment site.  DWD and DATCP offer the following tips to help students protect themselves when they seek seasonal jobs using online sites: