Internship Supplies at SA Schools: A Checking Scam
Scammers are targeting Success Academy students and internship seekers with fake offers that involve fraudulent checks. Banking details and personal information are harvested in the process, making it all the more dangerous.
The Scenario
- Impersonation: Scammer posed as a classmate offering a remote internship.
- Fake Forms: Students were sent to a Microsoft Form asking for:
- Address
- Bank info
- Date of birth
- Hook: Internship promised a stipend for an iPad, making it believable since students use school devices.
- Red Flag: Scammer (“David Todd”) skipped an interview, claiming to already have school data.
- Tech-Savvy Check: Asked if victims were “tech-savvy” — a way to judge how easy they’d be to scam.
- Tampered Check: Sent a blurry, altered check and pressured the student to:
- Deposit it on their phone
- Send back part of the money as “payment” for the iPad
- The Trick: Money shows up briefly, but the check bounces later.
- Pressure Tactics: When refused, David Todd:
- Grew angry and desperate
- Demanded the “remaining $100” in the account
Critical Warning
Red Flags to Watch For
Compromised Account: The scam message came from a real student’s school account that had been hijacked.
Too-Good-To-Be-True: A paid internship opportunity offered out of nowhere, with an application process that does not consist of a work-related background.
Upfront Check Payment: Receiving a check before doing any work, often followed by requests to verify or send money back.
How to Protect Yourself
Verify the company through official websites or LinkedIn before sharing any information.
Refuse any internship that sends money before work begins or asks you to handle “supplies.”
Confirm with every person you are communicating with that they sent the message.
Contact your bank immediately if you suspect you’ve deposited a fraudulent check.
Always have an interview process or face-to-face communication.
Investigated By
Emmanuel Nudelman
Threat Researcher