Police and universities in the Halifax area are warning students about an employment scam.

Since Sept. 25, investigators say they have received several complaints about incidents in which students accessed a job portal through their university.

After applying for the job, the students received an email telling them they were the successful applicant. The prospective employer then provided them with a cheque to deposit in their bank account.

“They would be instructed to take a cheque they were sent, deposit that item, then withdraw those funds in cash, then make purchases on behalf of the employer,” says Halifax Regional Police Const. Dana Drover.

The students were told to shop and run errands on behalf of the company and then wire most of the funds from the cheque back to the employer.

However, police say the cheque given to the students was counterfeit. In some cases, students spent more than $8,000 before being informed of the fraud.

“The downside for the job applicant, of course, is there’s no real funds behind those cheques,” says Drover. “They’re fraudulent. They’re counterfeit.”

Police say the onus falls on the student to pay the money back to their bank.

Universities are sending out alerts through emails, posters, social media and apps to warn students about the scam.

“The security for students, from the Students Association, is very important, and considering Saint Mary’s has such a high international student population, they tend to be more susceptible to scams like this, so we do our best to inform students about what’s going on,” says James Patriquin, president of the SMU Students’ Association.

While most cases have been reported in Halifax, police say the scam has affected students at other universities in Nova Scotia, and could even extend to New Brunswick.

“There’s nothing to limit a fraudster to try and get their false messages to as broad an audience as possible,” says Drover.

Police say it’s important to verify the identity of individuals and the legitimacy of the organization they claim to represent. They also say employees should never use their own bank account to conduct business for an employer.

With files from CTV Atlantic's Amanda Debison