By Diego Olivares
College students should not apply to mysterious job offers that secretly want to take advantage of them.
These job offers are advertised through fliers posted around college campuses, this includes East Los Angeles College. The ads give little to no information about the promoted job.
Jobs like these could actually be scams design to take advantage of college students. This is something that is completely dishonest to a low degree.
College students should not fall victim to the scams and avoid them whenever possible. They could be completely unaware that these jobs truly want to scam them.
It is hard enough people are struggling looking for work. The fact that there are jobs that cheat desperate people is truly distasteful.
The job scams have been known to target college students in desperate need of work; they hire students and tell them to “invest” money as its part of the job.
According to Ace Online Schools.com, college students tend to be very eager and in need of money. Thus making them easy targets for these scams.
Students should avoid the jobs due to their dishonest nature.
In May of 2013, I was in desperate need of work and came across a job ad posted at East Los Angeles College.
They give little information about the job being offered. The only details given are the company’s contact information and the income account one can earn.
My naive desperation blinded me about this lack of info. I called the number and was given an interview that same day.
The interview was for a company called Vector Marketing.
According to the website spamlaws.com, Vector Marketing is a sales company that trains employees in selling kitchen knives.
Within hours of calling, I came over to Vector’s and was hired for a knife sales job.
Upon returning home, I was told by a relative to look up information about Vector. The research found on the web stated that Vector has had a history of job scams.
The company does not give new employees free knives for their knife sales training. Vector requires them to pay $145 for the knives.
Vector also has the new employees try to sell these knives to friends and family first, hoping they could invest money into them. This is considered an example of a pyramid scheme.
I quickly left Vector Marketing after discovering this information.
Months later, I came across other job ads like Vector’s posted around ELAC. I felt that other ELAC students could possibly fall victim to these scams.
There are ways students could evade applying to these jobs. Anyone who finds these ads and call up the numbers should get information on the company.
Students must search the internet and find any company information. This will allow them to know if the company is legitimate.
Research is very important when it comes to applying for jobs with not much information given on the ads.
The campuses where the ads are posted should take some responsibility about what goes up and what does not.
The ads should be checked by ELAC’s Associated Students Union before they could be posted.
Background checks and questioning must be done before approving the ads. Sometimes the ads are posted without ASU approval.
One ad found without ASU approval was from Prosperity Team, another company with accusations of job scamming.
Security officials should check on these ads from time to time to see which has ASU approval. Any ads that does not have the approval should be removed.
Students should not apply to jobs that want to take advantage of them. Desperation can cloud their judgment, but it should not allow them to make bad decisions.
There are better jobs out there that do not take advantage of college students.