Most Recently Reported Job Scams Targeting Students

Handshake identified a fraudulent user operating under the guise of the company Oz Directional Drilling, Inc. The fraudulent user is Ismael Rubio. One student applied to the position that was posted. Handshake has removed this employer and contact account and they no longer have access to HireUTexas powered by Handshake. While Oz Directional Drilling, Inc. is a legitimate company, this provided instance in Handshake is fraudulent and was created by a user who had taken over the real company’s email address. Having control of the email, they had then created an account on Handshake and were able to verify the confirmation email. Handshake was made aware of this by the office manager of the actual Oz Directional Drilling, Inc. Handshake has not been made aware of anyone being scammed for money at this time, however this behavior violates the community agreements, therefore Handshake removed this user and company as well as blocked all of their job opportunities.

We have implemented our Fraudulent Activity Response protocol.  Although thousands of great opportunities are vetted and shared in the system, we regret that this happened and continually work to update and enhance our vetting processes and resources and provide transparency to our partners. Additionally, this incident has been reported to UT IT Security, directly communicated to the student applicant and to their respective career services office. Please review the tips below to share accordingly as we take our role seriously in keeping students informed and educated on ways to protect themselves and their information.

Additional details regarding company/job from recent incidents. We are sharing this information, but aside from a legitimate business being spoofed, all contact information is most likely fraudulent, too.

  • Company Name/Contact Name: Oz Directional Drilling, Inc./Ismael Rubio
  • Job Roles: Customer Service Representative or Data Clerk

This is currently all the information we have at this time and will continue to keep you updated if we receive more details.

Tips from Information Security Office

Steps to Take if You Are a Victim of a Scam (per our Scam Job Posting Guide)

  • Identify the situation. Did you give out any personal information? If so, target the areas that you think may be compromised and work with banks, your credit card company, or other entities to ensure best safety measures. This may include closing bank or email accounts that were jeopardized or ordering credit reports to scan for any unusual activity.
  • Document everything! This will help the University or law enforcement better assist you and ensure that others may be warned in the future.
  • Campus resources available to you:

Disclaimer: Texas Career Engagement and The University of Texas at Austin’s college/school career service offices take measures to help protect students from fraudulent internship/job postings on campus job boards. While our moderators vet all positions and employers as best we can, we cannot take responsibility for each position. This information is to help educate students to further protect themselves when searching for employment.

Recent reports: