By Jesse Sannicandro
An FSU student was contacted by a fraudulent employer on RamTrack and was asked to bring two passport-sized photos and other identification to an interview, according to an email sent by Career Services.
The student was contacted by someone claiming to be a potential employer who gave a false name – Andrew Miller. This person said they were seeking a receptionist/office position for Zulily, an American e-commerce company, headquartered in Seattle, Washington.
Dawn Ross, the director of Career Services and Employer Relations, said it is “almost unheard of” for employers to ask for an ID just for an interview.
A similar incident occurred in the Fall 2016 semester when a student was asked to transfer funds to someone in another country after being contacted by a fraudulent employer on RamTrack.
After the fall incident, Career Services changed its policy of giving employers access to students’ information.
In the past, “an employer would register and they would have access to see students that put resumes on the system. And now, we don’t give anybody access to see student data. We just let them post jobs,” said Ross.
Regarding new companies signing up for RamTrack, she said, “We’re not giving access unless it is somebody who we know, that we meet with.”
As an extra security precaution, Ross said, “We’re calling every employer that posts a job or signs up for RamTrack. ... We have a script that we will read to every employer. Now, if an employer does not call us back, then we just do not post their jobs or approve them. If we call a number that an employer has put in and it’s out of service or out of order, we’re just assuming that this was a scam.”
Ross said, “It’s a nationwide epidemic of fraudulent postings. ... This is not just Framingham State.”
Ross said students often come to Career Services to ask if job offerings and companies seem legitimate. This is difficult, she said, because frauds such as this one, which uses real company.
She said there has been a recent increase in instances of fraud on RamTrack.
Ross said she has been at FSU for 15 years and that five instances of fraud have been brought to her attention.
A list of tips on how to avoid common job scams was included as an attachment in the warning email sent out by Career Services.
As of press time Framingham State Police could not be reached for comment.