Scammer impersonating Professor John J. Ryan, Ph.D. offering a fake Student Research Assistant position (2/15/2023)
Another job scam was reported to VCU Information Security today starting which began around February 14th, 2023.
The scammer is impersonating Professor John J. Ryan, Ph.D. from the email address 4covid19research@gmail.com and promising paychecks weekly of around 250.00. Please note that this is a malicious email scam designed to have the victims deposit fraudulent checks and instructs the victim to send the scammer gift cards. We are advising to cease any further communications with the scammer via email or other means like text messaging. These scammers will use any information you can provide to utilize for other scams in the future.
See above an example of one of the messages the scammer may send its victims. The scammer will use the alternate email or phone number victims provide to begin communications with the victim leaving no evidence for our team to follow. It is very important that any contact with the scammer stops.
If it is too late and you have already sent the scammer gift cards, it is still possible to get your money back. Depending on the time period and policies of the gift card issuer.
See below for further information on what to do if scammed from The Federal Trade Commision
If you suspect you are a victim of this scam please email us at infosec@vcu.edu
Please reach out if you have any questions or concerns in the meantime. Thank you.