Why this looks valid

• Unsolicited job offers directed at college students are common
• Refinery29 is a real media company, and it is likely they regularly hire freelance writers
• The sender’s last name is the same as the founder and CEO

Why this is fraud

• Grammatical errors are often indicators of malicious emails
• It is too good to be true – $300 a week without any impact on school work
• The originating email address does not come from the company address
• A quick search on Google and LinkedIn shows there is such person as Oliver von Borries –  any individual recruiting for legitimate work will have a LinkedIn profile or detailed information on the company website

Additional notes

• We are almost halfway through the spring semester!  This means the frequency of these fraudulent employment offers will increase.   Here is an example from last year:  http://pages.vassar.edu/catchoftheday/2018/05/07/a-message-personal-assistant-at-dres/
• Are you a Vassar student looking for a job? Contact the right experts who can help you at the Career Development Office http://careers.vassar.edu/
• Fraudulent job offers are extremely common. For more information, see http://www.bbb.org/northwest-florida/news-events/bbb-scam-alerts/2016/02/students-targets-of-recent-job-scam/
• A little paranoia goes a long way! Be suspicious of any email messages similar to this one.