A U. of I. student reported that she attempted to purchase four concert tickets she saw for sale on the social media app GroupMe. The student paid $500 for the ticket via Zelle and was asked to provide proof of her identity by posing with her university student ID on her forehead. Once the transaction […]

A U. of I. student reported receiving an email from someone purporting to be her boss. The fake boss instructed her to purchase Apple and Target gift cards as part of a surprise to reward her coworkers for their hard work. After buying the gift cards at Walgreens, the offender instructed the student to send […]

A U. of I. student reported that he was the victim of extortion. The student exchanged private messages with an unknown person on Instagram before the conversation moved to Snapchat. After exchanging explicit photos and videos, the offender demanded the student send $300 under threat of sending the videos to his friends. The student complied, […]

A U. of I. student reported that he exchanged private messages with an unknown person on WhatsApp. The conversation became sexual in nature, and the unknown person invited the student into a video chat to perform intimate acts. When the video chat ended, the unknown person instructed the student to send $1,000 under threat of […]

A U. of I. student reported that he was the victim of extortion. The student exchanged private messages with an unknown person on Instagram before the conversation moved to Snapchat. The unknown individual eventually requested that the student send explicit photos of himself. The student complied, and the unknown person threatened to send the photos […]

A U. of I. student reported that an unknown person sent him a message on Instagram and initiated a private conversation, during which the unknown person encouraged the student to send intimate photos of himself. The conversation moved to Snapchat, where the student sent intimate photos. After sending the photos, the unknown person demanded that […]

An individual reported receiving two part-time job offers from people purporting to be Korn Ferry and Kelly Services employees via WhatsApp. After expressing his interest, the man was contacted by the “trainer,” who explained how to complete the tasks. After completing a job, small amounts of cryptocurrency were deposited into his coin base. Eventually, the […]

A U of I student used Facebook Marketplace to sell clothing for $230 and was contacted by an interested buyer. The buyer sent $230 via Zelle, but the student never received the money. The buyer then asked the student to send $300 via Zelle because they overpaid, and the student complied. The buyer then requested […]

A U. of I. student reported responding to a post she saw about an apartment lease in the “UIUC Housing Sublet & Roommates” Facebook group. After filling out the rental application and lease agreement, she was asked to send a deposit of $800 via Zelle. The initial transaction failed, so she sent $400 to two […]

A man reported receiving an email from someone purporting to be a representative of ORIC Pharmaceutical Company. After responding to the email, he was directed to contact a second individual via Microsoft Teams, and he was informed he would receive a $1,250 check via email. The scammer told the man to deposit the check into […]