The UCLA Information Security Office is aware of UCLA students being targeted by fake job/internship scams that impersonate UCLA staff and faculty members. Be mindful of phishing emails that may be disguised as a job opportunity.

These messages often include the name of a real UCLA professor or administrator and may even copy their email signature to appear more convincing.

We have identified a phishing campaign targeting individuals who applied to a fraudulent research job posting. You may have received an email claiming the sender is unable to access their university (.edu) email account and requesting that you continue communication via an alternate email address or SMS.

This message is malicious and not from a legitimate university representative.

Key Indicators of the Phishing Attempt

• Claims of a “technical issue” preventing receipt of emails on an official .edu account
• Requests to move communication to a non-institutional (alternate) email address
• Urgent or unusual instructions to send resumes or personal information
• Encouragement to check spam folders to continue the conversation
• Inconsistent or unprofessional language

What You Should Do

• Do not reply to the email or send any personal information
• Report the email to security@ucla.edu.
• Do not engage via alternate email or SMS as requested
• Delete the message from your inbox and trash folder

Always verify the true sending address and ensure that any application forms or surveys are hosted on official UCLA platforms before responding.

If you are interested in finding a student job at UCLA, consider searching for positions on UCLA Career Center powered by Handshake (link is external), or contacting a potential supervisor directly using their official UCLA email address and not from unsolicited sources.

Subject: Clarify

Body:

Dear Applicant,

Once again thanks for your interest in the research role. I am writing to clarify a temporary change in how I am able to receive email communications.

At the moment, I am experiencing a technical issue with my official university email account. While I am able to send messages from this address, I am currently unable to view or receive incoming emails sent to edu email. For this reason, if you send a message to my university
(.edu) email here, I will unfortunately not be able to see your response.

To ensure uninterrupted communication, I will be using my alternate email address for correspondence, and occasionally SMS for time-sensitive matters. Please direct all replies and future responses to my alternate email address so that I can receive them without delay. 
I also recommend checking your spam or filter folders, as messages may sometimes be redirected there due to this issue.

Please rest assured that i am communicating directly from my alternative email. This notice is shared purely for transparency and to maintain continuity until the issue with my university email is fully resolved. 
Once access is restored, I will resume communication exclusively through my official university account. Do respond to my alternative email with your resume and communication skills. Please check your both edu email and alternative email you submitted inbox or filter folder.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

Best regards,
Professor  Adnan Darwiche
368B Engineering 6
Computer Science Department
University of California
Los Angeles, CA 90095
UCLA
 

Stay safe!

When in doubt, look for these signs, and use your best judgement. Verify the offer by contacting the company directly. Look them up online. Don’t use the number or email address from the email. Look for a contact in department website, call them and ask if this is a legitimate job offer.  

If you are interested in finding a student job at UCLA, consider searching for positions on UCLA Career Center powered by Handshake (link is external), or contacting a potential supervisor directly using their official UCLA email address and not from unsolicited sources.

What to Do if You Paid a Scammer 

No matter how you paid — debit or credit card, bank or wire transfer, gift card, or cash reload card — immediately contact the company you used to send the money, report the fraud, and ask to have the transaction reversed, if possible. For specific advice and tips on how to reverse different types of payments, read What to Do If You Were Scammed (link is external).

Report Job Scams 

If you lost money to a job scam, report it to UCLA Police Department (link is external) and the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov (link is external).