Clemson University students have been the target of scam attempts throughout this year, but numbers have increased dramatically in the past few weeks.
The most frequent type of scam attempt is the “job offer scam” via email. These emails are typically for job offers or internships that promise a weekly paycheck of $300-$400, and are often signed by someone impersonating a Clemson University professor. Another recent scam promises a paycheck for office supplies.
Typically in these email phishing campaigns, the cybercriminals are impersonating a Clemson professor. One of the indicators that it is not a legitimate email is that it is from a Gmail address instead of a clemson.edu account. If you receive a suspicious email, it is a recommended that you contact the sender through a reliable source such as the Clemson Online Phonebook, rather than respond directly to the email.
Ways to avoid falling victim to one of these scams:
- Check to see if the sender’s email address is actually a Clemson email—a scam email will most likely come from an outside email address.
- Clemson faculty will not typically reach out to our students with internship or job offers in this manner.
- Forward any suspicious email to phishing@clemson.edu.
If you’re not sure if an email is legitimate, ask us! Our Office of Information Security works diligently to monitor and combat threats to the Clemson community. You can also visit our Cybersecurity Alerts page to learn more about specific threats and scam attempts.
