How to Avoid Job Scams Tied to the Rutgers Economics Department

Updated

Legitimate job offers connected to Rutgers Economics Department faculty arrive from a "rutgers.edu" email address, and faculty will never ask you to pay upfront for equipment or other purchases. If an offer fails either test, treat it as a scam. The department itself warns that fraudulent research assistant job offers targeting students continue to spread, so the two checks below are the fastest way to screen any message you receive.

The two signals that decide it

Check Legitimate Scam
Sender address Ends in rutgers.edu Free webmail, lookalike domains, or a reply-to that differs from the sender
Money flow You are paid; you never pay first You are asked to front money for equipment, software, or "onboarding"
HR and payroll correspondence Also comes from a rutgers.edu address Comes from a personal or unrelated address

The department's notice is explicit on both points: any job offer will come from a "rutgers.edu" email address, as will correspondence about HR matters including payroll, and faculty will not expect you to front money for equipment or other purchases.

Why the money request is the decisive red flag

A real research assistant position is a paid arrangement, not a purchase. When someone asks you to buy your own equipment, cover a software licence, or send funds that will supposedly be reimbursed, the request only makes sense if the "employer" is collecting money from you rather than paying you. That inversion is the clearest sign the offer is fraudulent, regardless of how convincing the rest of the message looks.

What to do with a suspicious offer

  1. Read the sender address, not the display name. A display name can say anything; the domain is what matters. Confirm it ends in rutgers.edu.
  2. Refuse any request to pay first. Do not buy equipment, do not send money, and do not share payment details.
  3. Verify through a channel you find yourself. Rather than replying to the message, use the department's own contact route — the site's "Do you have a question for an advisor?" section — to ask whether the offer is real.
  4. Keep the message. If you report it, the original headers and address are the useful evidence.

Questions to ask before responding

  • Did this arrive from a rutgers.edu address, or only claim to?
  • Is anyone asking me to spend money before I am paid?
  • Does the HR or payroll message come from the same rutgers.edu domain?
  • Can I confirm the position through the department directly instead of through the sender?

If any answer points away from the two signals above, stop the conversation there.