STARR website falls victim to fake companies' postings

Within the past few weeks, several fake job postings have been posted on the STARR Career Development Center's website: STARR  Search and on Craigslist.

These postings were made by fake companies trying to lure students into giving them access to their bank accounts. The companies then hired students without an in person interview and then asked them to deposit fake checks into their accounts.

A message sent out by Patricia Imbimbo, director of SCDC, urged students to report any incident similar to this and to not give out any important information.

An email that was sent out to students stated, "These scams will hire students via email without an in-person interview and will ask students to deposit fake checks in their checking accounts as part of the job's responsibility."

Imbimbo recommended that students should notify their banks immediately if any such check is received.

She wanted to inform all students about this scam in order to prevent others from falling for it.

"That is pretty scary. The last thing I need is for someone to hack into my account, or anyone's account for that matter," said Robi Baazashvili, a sophomore at Baruch.

"They should not respond to anyone asking them for money. If a student is unsure about a posting or job opportunity, they should meet with a counselor at the SCDC to further discuss," she said.

Imbimbo also stated that several Baruch students had fallen victim to this scam, and because of this she wanted to notify students immediately.

The SCDC has been getting the message out through email blasts, by notifying administrators and through Facebook posts.

The email also stated, "If you have already applied to a similar position do not respond to any email and please disregard any contact for this position."

According to Imbimbo, the postings have since been removed from STARR Search.

"Students should definitely come to the STARR Career Development Center and report any such postings in Starr Search," she noted.

However, since it is not clear whether or not the postings have been removed from Craigslist, students should be wary of any job offer that they receive without a regular interview.

Jordan Bonet, a junior at Baruch added, "It shows that just like any other site, our information is always at risk to some level. It is our responsibility to exercise caution in what we share."

"It is unfortunate," said Bonet.