My law professor emailed us a job opportunity, which seemed legit because it came from him. Professors share job listings with us often, so I didn’t think twice. The job was for a remote student assistant position at an injury law firm. Turns out, it was a scam.
I ended up depositing fake checks and forwarding money to supposed ‘clients.’ Now, I owe the bank money. When I reached out to my professor, he apologized and said he thought it was legitimate. I’ve also talked to one of the school’s deans and campus police, but it’s been over a week with no response.
I don’t want to hold my professor completely responsible since he’s a great teacher, but I feel stuck. Should I try to hold him or the school accountable? What should I do? I don’t think it’s fair to just let this go and be left with this debt.
Hey, just a heads up to anyone new here. If someone sends you a private message offering help with a ‘recovery expert’ or something similar, don’t trust them. These are scams too. Always stick to public advice in this forum so others can verify it.
Also, if you see any scammers or rule-breaking posts, report them so mods can take care of it. Be careful out there!
Honestly, it’s not your professor’s fault that you fell for this. Yes, he should have checked, but you also needed to verify the job before proceeding. No one made you cash a fake check or forward money. It’s frustrating, but the only one to blame is the scammer.
I’d suggest reaching out to r/legaladvice (or a similar forum) if you’re looking for actual legal guidance. Take this as a lesson to be cautious in the future.
Do you think your professor is supposed to investigate every job offer he shares? Professors often forward these without much scrutiny, and it seems this one slipped through. Unless there’s clear negligence or intent, suing him or the school might not go anywhere.
Be absolutely sure of your position before trying to hold them accountable, especially since you’re still a student. You don’t want to damage your relationship with your professor or the school over this.
If your school makes the professor liable for this, don’t be surprised if professors stop sharing job opportunities altogether. Even though the email came from him, you still had the responsibility to verify the job before taking any action.
Did you follow instructions without questioning anything? That’s on you. Take this as a lesson and don’t blame him for your lack of caution.
@Faithjones
You should definitely let your professor know what happened, though. First, so this doesn’t happen to anyone else. Second, it shows you’re handling the situation responsibly. As a future lawyer, you should have noticed the red flags in this scam. Cashing checks and forwarding money is a huge warning sign for fraud.
@Faithjones
I’m curious, though. Did your professor just forward this job without checking where it came from? I’d expect job listings to at least come from known, reputable sources.
This is a good reminder to focus on safe practices instead of just looking for ‘red flags.’ Scams aren’t always obvious, and even legit situations can turn messy.
For example, if a friend borrows money for a ‘family emergency’ but is involved in a scam, you’re now part of it. If you want to help, dig deeper and handle the issue directly instead of blindly trusting others.
Sometimes things don’t change until someone files a lawsuit. What your professor did was careless, and the school should have better processes in place. These scams are common, and it’s surprising they didn’t catch it.
By the way, lawyers usually handle client funds through trust accounts. You should never be paying out of pocket for anything like this. Hope you recover from this soon.