Warning of fraudulent job offers

Dear students, due to current events, we would like to inform you about the following:

For some time now, offers to work from home as so-called "goods, parcel or financial agents" have been on the rise. Various groups of perpetrators offer seemingly lucrative job offers as "parcel managers", "shipping employees", "test buyers", "logistics assistants", "controllers" or similar via internet platforms, online job exchanges, newspaper advertisements etc. and lure you in with high pay for comparatively simple tasks: Goods or parcel agents are asked to accept consignments of goods or parcels, repackage them if necessary, remove invoices, "document" their condition and forward them to the addresses named by the "employer" - usually abroad. The promised wages are usually not paid. At first glance, the offers with "genuine" employment contracts and professionally designed company logos look legitimate, but behind them lies an organized scam.

The goods are often high-quality technology, branded clothing, etc., which originate from Internet orders placed in the name of the "parcel agent" using fraudulently obtained credit card details. The "parcel agent" serves to conceal the trail to the perpetrators operating in the background. In this way, the agent quickly makes him-/herself liable to prosecution and is subsequently confronted with civil claims from damaged companies.

"Financial agents", on the other hand, are supposed to forward money that is transferred to their current account (often by sending cash and abroad) to other people. This money usually comes from so-called phishing campaigns, in which fraudsters obtain account access data from their victims, from fraudulent internet campaigns, etc. “Financial agents" also strongly expose themselves to the risk of being prosecuted and confronted with civil claims from third parties.

We expressly warn against accepting such job offers!

• Check job offers with due care and caution.
• Ask yourself: What is your specific "work assignment"? Does it make sense and is it logical?
• Never make your address or account available to a stranger on the Internet or in any other way for business transactions.
• The more tempting the job offer, the more cautious you should be.
• If you have received such an offer, contact the police.
• If you have accepted such/similar offers, inform the police and do not forward any more parcels with immediate effect.
• Do not be intimidated by any threats to honor your "employment contract".
• Save all references to the clients, make copies of the documents (delivery bills, invoices, parcel labels, sender and delivery addresses, etc.).
• If you have any questions or are in doubt, please contact our counsellling service.

Your Studentenwerk Chemnitz-Zwickau