Month: October 2025

Job scammers are a truly remorseless bunch–they have no qualms about using the name of a real UVic professor to target students who might be struggling to pay for necessities like rent, groceries and tuition, and who would therefore leap at what looks like an easy and lucrative job opportunity. This latest example shows many of the usual red flags:

• The scam came from a Gmail address. If the person claims to be from UVic but isn’t using their UVic email address, it might not actually be them.
• The sender name doesn’t match the name in the signature block. Inconsistencies like this can be a sign that the offer is a lie.
• The salary is higher than would be expected for casual student work. If it’s sounds too good to be true, it usually is.

Other signs of a job scam that may materialize later on:

• You are offered a job without having to go through an interview.
• You never get to meet your employer/supervisor before you start work. At the very least, you should have the chance to meet them on a video call during the interview or onboarding process.
• You have to pay money or a deposit as part of accepting the job.
• You are told to use your own funds to transfer money to someone, or buy gift cards and send photos with the PIN cover scratched off. This may occur after you are sent a picture of a cheque to deposit–it will eventually bounce.

In general, if a job offer comes out of the blue from someone you don’t know, it’s probably a scam.

From: A******** <a********@gmail.com>
Subject: Flexible Work Opportunity

You don’t often get email from a********@gmail.com. Learn why this is important

The service of a student research assistant is urgently required to work part-time and get paid $320 weekly. Tasks will be carried out remotely and the work hours are 8hrs/week.

To apply for this role, kindly submit a cover letter and your updated resume to the Department of Psychology via this email. Once we receive your application, we will send further details about the offer and next steps to proceed.

Sincerely
B********
[Title redacted]
Department of Psychology
Office: [redacted]

This item giveaway scam was sent from a compromised account at another Canadian university. It claims that a faculty member is giving away a number of high-value items for free and you just have to pay the delivery cost. That last part is the catch–you’ll be told to send money to a mover that the scammer specifies, but you’ll never receive the items after paying the considerable sum.

The faculty member named in this email is actually fictitious. Do a search on the name of the person who is supposedly giving away the items; finding nothing to indicate that there is actually someone by that name at that university is a strong sign that the whole thing is a scam. But even if they are real, look for signs of impersonation, such as the use of a freemail address (e.g.: Gmail, Outlook.com, Hotmail or Yahoo), or a sender address that seems to belong to someone else. When in doubt, do not reply to the email or use any contact information from it; contact the person via a phone or video call using official contact information from their directory listing.

Also note how the scam tells you to reply by sending a text message. Asking to switch to SMS or messaging apps is often a sign of a scam; scammers do this to move the conversation to a place that can’t be monitored by our security systems. Additionally, the phone number has a Washington, D.C. area code, which is not something that a real faculty or staff member from a Canadian university would be likely to use.

As the old saying goes, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

You don’t often get email from [redacted]. Learn why this is important

Dear Students and Staff,

I hope this message finds you well.

Dr. Hannah Brezesky recently completed a successful business venture and has since moved into a new home. As part of this transition, she has generously decided to give away several high-quality personal items—completely free of charge, to members of our community, with a special focus on students and staff.

The available items include:

Leica Q2 47.3 MP Digital Camera (Black)

Schecter Electric Guitar

Yamaha G2 Grand Piano

PlayStation 5 (Used, Like New)

Kaabo mantis x plus electric scooter

Drone SWELLPRO FD1

All items are in excellent condition. The only requirement is that interested individuals cover the delivery cost to their preferred address.

If you’re interested in receiving any of these items, please contact Dr. Hannah Brezesky directly via text at +1 (202) ***-**** for more details. Items will be gifted on a first-come, first-served basis.

Warm regards,
On behalf of Dr. Hannah Brezesky