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, […]

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 […]

A U. of I. student reported that he attempted to buy a $1,400 item he saw advertised on Facebook. He contacted the seller and agreed to send the money in three separate transactions through Zelle. The seller stopped communicating with the student after the money was sent.

A U. of I. student attempting to sublet an apartment received an email from an unknown person who said they would take the apartment. The unknown person sent the student a check for $3,850 to cover rent for the whole sublease period. The student deposited the check, and then the renter said they changed their […]

A U. of I. student reported that she received text messages from an unknown person who claimed that they had been hired to harm her. The unknown person sent the student a picture that the student previously had posted on social media, presumably in an attempt to legitimize the threat. The unknown person also sent […]

A U. of I. student reported that she was contacted by a person who claimed to be a Chinese Customs agent and that the student was implicated in a criminal conspiracy. The student was directed to create fake emails to disseminate to other people, and also to download applications on her electronic devices that would […]

A U. of I. student reported that he received a phone call in August from someone claiming that a package the student allegedly sent to China was stopped at Customs and was found to contain fake passports and credit cards. The student never sent a package. He was transferred to a second person claiming to […]

A U. of I. student reported that she engaged in conversation with another person through an app described as “highly sexual in nature.” The conversation moved to Instagram, where intimate photos were exchanged. The offender then threatened to send the student’s photos for her social media contacts unless the student paid money. The student attempted […]

A U. of I. student reported that he attempted to purchase a watch being offered for sale through the OfferUp app. The student used a banking app to pay the initial asking price of $350, and then the purported seller continued to demand more money to cover shipping costs. The seller then sent false shipping […]

A U. of I. student reported that he met another person through a dating app, and the online conversation resulted in the student sending the other person intimate photos and his phone number. The offender then text messaged the student with a threat to send the photos to the student’s social media contacts if the […]