CHENANGO COUNTY – As teens head back to high school or get ready to start college, they may be looking for ways to earn extra money quickly.

Gone are the days when teenagers need to secure traditional part-time jobs in order to raise funds. Now, they have options like browsing social media sites for quick and easy one-time jobs to earn cash when they need it. But with these new online opportunities come online threats.

“As fraud continues to evolve, criminals target those who are most vulnerable. They also target the channels that appeal to younger individuals,” said NBT Bank Director of Information Security Terra Carnrike-Granata. “This type of fraud utilizes social media, social engineering, job opportunities and mobile deposits. It often targets students, young adults, newly-enlisted military or single parents.”

The most common fraud scams targeting Millennials and Gen Z right now include:

• College Website Career/Job Postings – Colleges’ internal job sites are not immune to hacking or fraudulent posts. It’s important to know that a legitimate job post will never require you to have a bank account, ask for your banking information or request a transfer of funds.

• Secret Shopper – After the target applies for a position to be a mystery shopper, they receive a check to deposit and then are instructed withdraw cash to wire the money, so that they can “evaluate” the customer service. But the check is counterfeit and the victim has just given away his or her own money.

• Online Sales Scam – When selling an item via an online auction site, the purchaser will mail a check for more than the final sales amount, then tell the seller to deposit the full amount and wire them the difference. Again, the check is counterfeit and the victim has just given away his or her own money.

• Card Cracking – Young adults are recruited via social media to facilitate fraud against a bank with the promise of a “kick back.” The perpetrator deposits a counterfeit check, and then tells the teen to report their debit card as lost or stolen in order to have funds falsely reimbursed. This is illegal.

That’s why NBT Bank and the American Bankers Association share the following tips for teenagers and young adults to be able to spot social media phishing and other scams:

• Do not respond to solicitations for “easy money.”

•Do not share login information, credentials, pin numbers or other personal/financial information with anyone.

•Be wary of “friend” or “message” requests from individuals you do not know or do not have any mutual friends. This is a common avenue for fraudsters to conduct the scams listed above.

• Use privacy settings on social media and do not communicate with individuals you don’t know.

• Report suspicious posts linked with scams. There is usually a drop-down menu near the post on social media sites to allow for easy reporting.

This advice shouldn’t be limited to online posts.

Teens and young adults should be careful with debit cards, bank account and other personal information in all settings at all times.

For more information on understanding fraud and keeping your money safe, visit: www.nbtbank.com/stopscams.