The information security team has received numerous reports that a series of fraudulent email messages about student jobs and internship positions have been circulating. There are several, similar versions of the message being sent, and some variants impersonate and even appear to be addressed from actual Miami faculty and staff.

The email notes these internships will pay as much as $350 per week, and are available through the “Office of Job Placement and Student Services”. They ask students to send some personal information to the sender, and in some cases ask students to deposit checks which may allow the sender access to student banking information.

The email contains content similar to the following:

Dear Esteemed Students of Miami University

We are thrilled to inform you about the latest internship openings offered by the Office of Job Placement and Student Services. Our aim is to extend financial support to students facing economic challenges, all while providing them with invaluable research exposure. These internships are accessible for remote work, with a maximum commitment of seven hours per week and adaptable schedules that can be managed from your residence or on-campus. Selected students will receive a compensation of $350 per week.

This remote internship opportunity is open to students from all departments within our institution, and the tasks can be carried out remotely. However, it's important to note that the number of available positions is limited, and selection will be done on a first-come, first-served basis. If you are keen on this opportunity, kindly reach out to Professor Bruce Murray, at bruce.murray12@outlook.com. When requesting more details about the job requirements and application process, please include your full name, email address, phone number, department, and current year of study.

We strongly advise submitting your application promptly, as the available slots are limited. We eagerly anticipate your response and extend our best wishes for success in your academic pursuits.

Warm regards,
The Office of Job Placement and Student Services,
Miami University

If you receive this, or a similar email, please do not respond or click on any links within; just delete the message. This is a common phishing practice to try to get recipients to respond to a message with personal data, build a relationship with the contact, and then request personal data like Unique IDs, social security numbers, or bank account information. 

This is also not how Miami usually advertises for internships or jobs. That is done through Miami’s employment portal (MiamiOH.edu/jobs).

If you receive a message that you suspect to be a phishing message, please forward it to InfoSec@MiamiOH.edu. This allows the information security team to block sites that may be associated with phishing attacks. If you ever feel you may have responded to a fraudulent message or clicked a link in one, please contact IT Help immediately at 513-529-7900.

For more tips about remaining secure online and at Miami, visit the Security Corner.