At least two students have been scammed by a GWork job posting that offered students large rewards in exchange for access to their bank accounts.

The pair of students reported “suspicious communication” from the employer, Adele Harpole Horsemanship, after replying to its posting about “barn help” on GWork. The posting was taken down four days after it was posted last month.

Career Center communications director Jeff Dagley said the employer promised applicants large payments “in exchange for allowing the use of the applicant’s bank account” to deposit checks or transfer money. He called it “more sophisticated” than some scams that have tricked students in the past by charging application fees.

“After a student later contacted us for guidance claiming that the information requested by the employer did not match that which was listed in the posted description, our staff immediately responded to the student that we would investigate the situation and then immediately suspended the posting, removing it from view,” Dagley said.

The posting was originally approved by Career Center staff, Dagley said. He said when employers ask to post on GWork, staff briefly review the posting and look for “red flags” like wages that appear inappropriately high for the level of work.

The Career Center uncovers about five scams a year out of the 15,000 positions posted on GWork, Dadley said.

The Career Center also offers students several tips for how to spot a fraudulent posting, including improper use of English.

“Scams such as this one are not restricted to University job postings. They appear in all types of online posting systems,” Dagley said. “The way to mitigate the situation is to have in place a stringent review process and a strong effort to educate the users of the online system.”