On January 21, a U. of I. student answered a Facebook advertisement for an apartment sublease and paid $550 for the application fee and security deposit. When the student asked to see the apartment, the supposed property owner asked for more money. The student attempted on March 4 to transfer the money as directed to […]
Author: Patrick Wade
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Sexual extortion
A U. of I. student reported that an unknown person sent him a friend request on Instagram and initiated a private conversation, during which the unknown person encouraged the student to send intimate photos of himself. After the photo was sent, the unknown person demanded that the student use a mobile app to send $400 […]
Campus Safety Notice – Sexual Assault
Dear campus community member: We would like to inform you of a crime that has recently occurred in the campus area so you have the information you need to take the appropriate precautions. We are issuing this Campus Safety Notice in accordance with a federal law requiring universities to disclose information about certain crimes on […]
One arrested after two handguns recovered
URBANA, Illinois – Two loaded handguns were seized and a man was arrested Monday after a University of Illinois Police officer stopped a vehicle for an expired registration. The stop occurred at about 4:29 p.m. Monday near the intersection of Lincoln Avenue and California Street, Urbana. The driver, later identified as Jamario M. Cook, 31, […]
Fake job ad
A U. of I. student reported that he had received an email advertising a job opportunity with a university professor. The email directed the student to text an unknown number, which he did. The scammer asked the student to send $200 via electronic transfer of the student’s own money to a third party, promising that […]
Sexual extortion
A U. of I. student reported that he was contacted via Instagram by an unknown person, who then suggested they move the conversation to Snapchat. The student was encouraged to send intimate photos of himself to the unknown person, who then took screenshots of the images and threatened to send them to the student’s social […]
UIPD releases additional details in student death investigation
URBANA, Illinois – University of Illinois Police are continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding the Jan. 20 death of Akul Dhawan, a student at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Information collected so far supports the initial belief that the death was accidental, and no foul play occurred. Mr. Dhawan, 18, was found deceased at about […]
Fake investment scheme
A U. of I. student reported that he befriended an unknown person through Instagram who got him interested in an investment plan involving cryptocurrency. The student transferred as much as $40,000 to the fake account over the course of several months. When he asked to withdraw the money, the person facilitating the investments cut off […]
Fake customer support
A U. of I. student reported that he was experiencing issues with his Apple AirPods and Googled the customer support number. The student called the number and spoke with an individual purporting to be a customer service representative. The representative ultimately told the student that all his Apple devices had been hacked and transferred him […]
Fake tickets
A U. of I. student reported that someone purporting to be another U. of I. student in a GroupMe chat offered concert tickets for sale. The purchaser asked for confirmation of the seller’s identity, and the seller offered a photo of herself holding her student identification. The purchaser sent $450 to the seller via Zelle, […]