Phone and internet scams are common no matter where you are. Be aware of how to identify scams and what to do if you encounter one.
In these scams and many others that have occurred over the years, the scammers tend to target international students. Often, there are language or cultural barriers that make international students more susceptible.
Here are the red flags to keep in mind when you receive a call from an unknown person:
- No government official will ever demand money over the phone. If someone claims to be a police officer, immigration official, a tax agent, or any other government representative demanding money, the call is likely a scam.
- Scammers try to intimidate victims with empty threats of arrest or deportation. If a caller threatens to have you arrested if you hang up, the call is likely a scam.
- Often, scammers will demand payment in the form of something other than cash. If a caller directs you to purchase gift cards or transfer payment in the form of virtual currency, the call is likely a scam.
- Sometimes, scammers will direct you to visit a series of banks to withdraw cash. Scammers know that withdrawing large amounts of cash raises red flags for bank employees, so they will direct the victim to visit a number of banks to withdraw smaller amounts.
- Scammers often “spoof” phone numbers of legitimate agencies. Number “spoofing” makes the victim’s caller ID display a legitimate phone number even though the call is originating from somewhere entirely different. If you have doubts about a caller’s identity, you should hang up and call the listed number for that agency to speak to a representative.
If you encounter any of these red flags, hang up immediately and call police. The 24-hour non-emergency number for the University of Illinois Police Department is 217-333-1216, or you can email us at police@illinois.edu.
Scam log
These scams have been reported to the University of Illinois Police Department. We post them here so you can be better informed about what to watch out for.
- Tech support scam
A U. of I. student received an email from an unknown sender stating that her paid subscription to a technical support service was to be renewed. The student replied to the message to cancel the service and was led through a series of steps that involved the student disclosing bank account information to the scammer and providing $1,000 in gift cards. In total, the student lost $1,800.
- Sexual extortion
An unknown person contacted a U. of I. student through social media and encouraged him to send intimate photos of himself. The offender then threatened to send those photos to the student’s social media contacts unless he paid $1,200. The student sent $40, which was all that was available to him.
- Sketchy Etsy vendor
A U. of I. student reported that she was the victim of fraud after attempting to purchase a camera online. The student paid $677 to purchase the camera from a private vendor who listed the item for sale in an online marketplace. The camera never arrived, and the student later learned that the vendor had provided false tracking numbers. The vendor was unreachable after the student recognized the scam.
- Fake friend
A U. of I. student reported that he was the victim of fraud after receiving a text from someone claiming to be an acquaintance and asking for money. The victim sent a total of $322.33 through several electronic transactions. When he later tried to contact the person, he found his phone number had been blocked. He then contacted his acquaintance and that person said he did not send the text.
- Sexual extortion
An unknown person contacted a U. of I. student through social media and encouraged him to send intimate photos of himself. The offender then threatened to send those photos to the student’s social media contacts unless he paid $500. The student complied.
- Fake art project
A U. of I. student reported that he was the victim of an internet-based scam between Feb. 19-22. The student was contacted via social media by someone purporting to be an artist offering money to use one of the student’s photos in a project. The scammer told the student that the client would send a $2,000 check to the student, and the student was to return a portion of that money to the scammer to pay for materials. The student paid $200 to the scammer before realizing that the check had bounced.
- Compromised credit card
An unknown person sent a U. of I. employee a text message suggesting that the employee’s credit card had been compromised. Upon calling the provided phone number, the employee was instructed to transfer all of the money in his checking account to a new account. The employee authorized the transfer of $5,017 into an unknown account.
- Dating app extortion
A U. of I. student reported that he had been the victim of an ongoing extortion scam between December 2021 and Feb. 17. After communicating with an unknown person through a dating app, the purported father of that unknown person called the student to say that the student had been communicating with a minor. The father demanded money under the threat of contacting the police. Several other demands for money were made over time, with the student paying a total of $4,500. The student later discovered that none of the claims were true.
- Sexual extortion
An unknown person contacted a U. of I. student through social media and encouraged him to send intimate photos of himself. The offender then threatened to send those photos to the student’s social media contacts unless he paid $500. The student complied.
- Sexual extortion
An unknown person contacted a U. of I. student through a dating app and encouraged him to send intimate photos of himself. The offender then threatened to send those photos to the student’s social media contacts unless he paid $5,000. The student did not pay and contacted police.