Introduction:Summer part-time jobs are a common way for many students to gain experience and earn pocket money. However, 14 students from Meizhou’s Meicheng district encountered a scam when applying for summer jobs at a coffee shop — they were asked to pay deposits before even starting work. These students found the job listings on social media platforms and were asked to pay deposits ranging from 500 to 1,500 yuan. Yet most didn’t even work a single day, and getting refunds proved extremely difficult. This article delves into the incident, reminding job seekers how to avoid similar traps and understand their legal rights.

Summer jobs aren’t just a means for students to earn living expenses; they’re also an important way to gain social experience. However, in Meicheng district of Meizhou, Guangdong, 14 students fell victim to an unexpected scam while applying for summer jobs at a coffee shop: before they could even start working, the shop owner demanded deposits ranging from hundreds to over a thousand yuan under various pretexts. Many of them never even worked a single day.

It is understood that these students saw the job postings on social media platforms. The work location was in Jiangbei, Meicheng. The advertised working environment and salary benefits seemed quite appealing, and the listing explicitly welcomed short-term workers. The students contacted the coffee shop owner via WeChat, hoping to land the summer position.

One of the first to apply was Xiao Chen, a sophomore. She said that after further communication with the owner, she learned the shop offered two positions: shop assistant and life assistant. She chose the shop assistant role. However, what she received wasn’t a work arrangement but a firm demand from the owner — she had to pay a deposit before starting work.

Xiao Chen revealed that the owner initially stated different deposit standards for short-term and long-term workers: 300 yuan and 500 yuan respectively. She opted to pay 300 yuan first, which the owner agreed to. But as more people applied, the owner changed his tune, insisting that unless she paid 500 yuan, she couldn’t start. In the end, Xiao Chen ended up paying a total of 1,500 yuan.

Other students who applied reported similar situations — all were asked to pay deposits ranging from 500 to 1,500 yuan before officially starting work. Eager to secure a job, most students complied with the owner’s request. However, in the end, only three out of the 14 students worked for a brief two or three days, while most didn’t work even a single day.

Later, after seeing negative reviews about the coffee shop online, the students began contacting the owner to request refunds. However, according to the chat records and feedback they provided, the owner didn’t outright refuse the refunds but instead used various excuses to stall and delay the process.

With no jobs and their deposits already paid, the students felt their rights had been violated and decided to report the matter to the police, as well as seek help from the Meijiang District Labor Security Supervision and Law Enforcement Brigade. When reporters visited the coffee shop, they found the premises wide open but completely empty, with items scattered around in disarray. Attempts to contact the owner via the phone number provided by the students went unanswered. A text message inquiry about refunds received only the reply: “Being processed.”

Law enforcement authorities subsequently stepped in to investigate. As of the morning of July 11, over 40 people had registered complaints about unpaid deposits, with amounts ranging from several hundred to over a thousand yuan. These job seekers included middle school students, high school students, college students, and young people who had just entered society.

The law enforcement brigade contacted the person in charge of the coffee shop and invited her to the police station for coordination. The individual was educated on the matter and urged to return the deposits to the applicants as soon as possible. Officials specifically reminded that whether students are looking for summer jobs or adults seeking employment, it is illegal for employers to collect job deposits. Upon encountering such situations, job seekers should immediately refuse and leave, and are advised to seek employment through formal channels and not to trust job listings on social media platforms.

This incident serves as another reminder to all job seekers, especially students, to remain vigilant when faced with seemingly attractive short-term job opportunities, particularly those involving requests for upfront payments. Job hunting should be done through reliable recruitment agencies, official job websites, or direct corporate channels to avoid losing both money and time due to oversight.

The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.