With students returning to school this fall, parents and college students may be looking for work that pays well and requires minimal time commitment. Online jobs may sound like they fit the bill – but unfortunately, many of these offers are sent by scammers hoping to steal your private information.

Imagine getting a text message with a job offer that pays hundreds of dollars a day for doing remote work. It might sound tempting, but there’s a few red flags. The company hiring is a mystery, the message only specifies an age requirement for the job, and most suspicious of all: they ask you to text them your Social Security number.

If you send your personal information to a stranger, you are likely putting yourself at risk of identity theft. And unfortunately, many scam operations these days can be very complicated and convincing. If you receive unexpected texts about employment or jobs, here’s how you should deal with them:

· Don’t click on links or respond to unexpected texts. If you think the text could be legit, contact the company using a website or phone number you know is real — not the information in the text.

· Do some research. Scammers usually promise big rewards for little work, but don’t give a lot of information. Search online for the name of the company and words like “review,” “scam,” or “complaint.” If you can’t find the company online, steer clear.

· Block unwanted texts. Scammers send texts designed to get your attention. Some phone settings and call-blocking apps let you block unwanted texts so you don’t hear from scammers in the first place.