Research Assistant Position

Like we’ve seen many times before, job scammers are impersonating real UVic professors or staff and targeting students looking for extra income to help pay for essentials when the cost of living remains so high. This latest batch is more elaborately written than many of the previous ones we’ve seen and may have been composed with the help of generative AI. Despite that, many of the typical red flags are still present:

The email came from a Gmail address and instructs you to apply by contacting a separate Mail.com address. If you receive an unsolicited job offer where either the sender or the reply address are from free email providers, it’s probably a scam.
The salary is too good to be true–$350 per week for only 6-7 hours of remote work is well above the typical wage for co-op or other student jobs.
The scammer requests your phone number, which may be a ploy to move the conversation away from email to evade our security controls.
There are still a few errors in the message text, such as incorrect capitalization, awkward wording, and the lack of a name in the signature block.

If you apply for a job and are told you were the successful candidate without going through an interview or otherwise meeting your employer first, it’s very likely to be a scam. And if you are told to buy and send gift cards or transfer money to someone else, definitely do not proceed!

If you replied to the scammer, cease contact and reach out to the Computer Help Desk immediately for assistance.

First half of an elaborately written job scam sent from Gmail but impersonating a real person from UVic Second half of an elaborately written job scam - recipients are told to apply by contacting an Mail.com email address and providing their phone number

From: CAMPUS JOBS <[redacted]@gmail.com>
Subject: Research Assistant Position

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

HR Job title: Remote Research Assistant

Supervisor: Dr. [redacted]

Work Study: Applicants can be work-study or non-work-study students. Both undergraduate and graduate students are encouraged to apply. University of Victoria, Centre for Social and Sustainable Innovation is currently hiring Undergraduate or Graduate Students to fill the position of Research Assistant Position on a part time basis of $350 weekly.

Department Required Skills

– Highly motivated, with strong organizational and communication skills.
-Excellent problem-solving skills
-Team player who can work in a fast-paced environment with a multi-disciplinary team.

Preferred Years Experience, Skills, Training, Education

-Experience primarily using Windows operating systems
-Ability to adequately use Microsoft Excel.

This is a part-time position with a flexible schedule, and the successful candidate will work approximately 6-7 hours for $350 weekly. The position offers valuable research experience, and the opportunity to work with a dynamic and collaborative research team on campus. As a Part-Time Remote Assistant Position you will play a crucial role in supporting me as I work with our partners and stakeholders to ensure that our programs and initiatives are making a real different in the lives of children around the world. Your responsibilities will include assisting with administrative tasks, organizing meetings and events, helping to manage communications and correspondence, handle mailing, making payments and purchasing Items when needed.

To proceed with the application process and other eligibility descriptions, submit your resume for review, functional phone number and year of study via this email address ([redacted]@mail.com) to receive further information on the position.

Best regards,
(he/his/him)
3800 Finnerty Road,
Victoria BC V8P 5C2 Canada
https://www.uvic.ca/