Information Services > Security > News & Updates > WHO Internship Scam - 09/10/21

WHO Internship Scam - 09/10/21

Screenshot of malicious email:

A screenshot of a maliciuos email. The email attempts to trick victims into applying for a fake WHO internship by clicking on a link.


On September 10th, 2021, there was another round of job scam emails that were sent out from compromised University email addresses. These are the same job scams that the Information Security Team has been alerting the community to for many months.

In this variant of the scam, the malicious email encourages recipients to apply for an internship at the World Health Organization by clicking on a link to a fake application page.

Once in contact with the malicious actor, the malicious actor will often attempt to request further personal information, and the communications will often move to a text message format. Ultimately, the malicious actor will attempt to defraud the victim by sending the victim a fraudulent check or via a cash transferring app such as Zelle or Cash App.

Some indicators that these emails are malicious:
- Grammatical errors
- Promises of easy money and a prestigious internship
- Appeals to emotion and greater cause
- Link to a non-DePaul website (remember to hover over hyperlinked text to see the underlying URL)