UCLA Information Security Office is aware of a scam targeting students with emails that have no message body and include a PDF attachment advertising a fake “Virtual Administrative Support Intern — Remote (Paid)” job. These messages impersonate the UCLA Department of English and a faculty member’s name, but are sent from non‑@ucla.edu addresses and instruct applicants to text a phone number to apply. This is a phishing/job scam designed to collect personal information.

What to watch for

• Empty email body with a single PDF attachment claiming a UCLA job/internship.
• From address is not @ucla.edu, despite UCLA names/logos in the PDF.
• Request such as texting a phone number in order to apply, legitimate UCLA jobs will never require you to send a text message to apply.
• Urgency (limited positions/early responses) and format errors (e.g., malformed dates) meant to rush you.

What to do

• Do not open suspicious attachments, reply, or text the number.
• Do not provide personal details (name, ID, banking info, résumé) to unknown senders.
• Use Report Phish in Outlook or forward the message as an attachment to security@ucla.edu.
• If you already responded or shared information, contact the IT Security team immediately.

Always verify the true sending address and apply only through official UCLA platforms (e.g., Handshake, department websites).

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: Remote Internships — Dept. of English

The email body itself is blank, but has a pdf attached:

The pdf contains the phishing content:

Department of English 

University of California, Los Angeles 

Virtual Administrative Support Intern — Remote (Paid) 

Overview

The Department of English invites applications from current students and recent graduates for a part-time remote internship supporting faculty administrative work. This role provides hands-on experience in academic office administration and project coordination. 

Position Details 

• Role: Virtual Administrative Support Intern 

• Compensation: $550 weekly 

• Hours: 8 hours per week (flexible to accommodate coursework) 

• Skills: Basic computer proficiency, strong organization and written communication 

How to Apply 

Send the following to Dr. Donka Minkova via text at (986) 283-3168 concerning the Job description and further application requirements. 

• Full name 

• School Email Address 

• Department 

Application deadline: [15 19, 2025] — positions limited; early responses encouraged. 

Dr. Donka Minkova 

Professor, Department of English 

University of California, Los Angeles 

Department of English — Los Angeles • CA 90095

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).