Fake apartment sublease

An Illinois student reported that she was seeking an apartment sublease near her summer internship in Madison, Wisconsin, and sent a text message to an unknown person advertising an apartment on Craigslist. The advertiser asked the student to complete an application and send it back with a copy of her driver’s license. The advertiser then […]

Hotel call

An employee of a hotel on campus reported that she received a call at the front desk from an unknown person who claimed that she had a warrant for her arrest and that she needed to pay $900 to clear her name. The employee provided personal information to the caller before recognizing the scam and […]

Fake apartment sublease

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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, […]

Fake bank employee

A U. of I. student reported that she received a text message purporting to be from her bank asking her if a transaction was valid or fraudulent. She replied that it was fraudulent. The student then received a call from someone purporting to be a bank employee who asked for account information, passcodes, personal identification […]