A fraudulent job post on the Career Center’s website SeaWork taught several UNCW students that if a job sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

The title of the post was “Dependable Nanny,” and the poster stated she was a mother seeking a caregiver for her 3-year-old daughter who could also help with shopping, errand running and cleaning.

Although the post was only live for 24 hours before it was blocked, a handful of UNCW students contacted the poster before the information was removed. Offering a wage that would be hard to turn down, the scammer was able to catch a number of students’ attentions in a short window of time.

Thom Rakes, Career Center director and assistant to the vice chancellor of student affairs for technology, explained the schemes at work behind the seemingly legitimate childcare post. One student responder was told they would receive packages at their address, which they were then to send elsewhere. Two students were sent checks for $1,950. The students who received the checks were instructed to cash them, keep $300 for their weekly wage, and transfer the rest to people who the mother ostensibly owed money to for the products she works with.

One student did try to cash the check, at which point the bank discovered it was fake and filed a police report.

The check came from the poster’s “business,” a real company in Kansas. It was postmarked in Florida, and the money was to be sent to the Philippines.

Meanwhile, universities in Connecticut, Washington, Michigan and Maine were experiencing similar problems with an identical post.

“There’s no way we can monitor hundreds of posts a week,” said Rakes. He therefore urged students to use their best judgment and caution when communicating with and meeting people through SeaWork. “No job is worth putting yourself in jeopardy,” said Rakes.

 UNCW Police have said there is probably nothing they can do about it, as the only information the scammer provided was an AOL email address and a P.O. Box.

Although many universities do not accept personal job ads for childcare, yard work or help around the house, UNCW’s SeaWork does, and both students and local citizens have benefited from that, according to Rakes.

“It serves the community, and it also serves students,” said Rakes