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.