The University Police have recently been made aware of a few incidents of scams referred to “sexual extortion.” These scams generally occur on social media or messaging apps. They involve an unknown offender who contacts a victim, lies about their identity, and engages in conversation of a sexual nature. After requesting intimate photos or video of the victim, the offender then threatens to send those images to the victim’s social media contacts unless the victim pays money.
As this type of scams and financial scams continue to affect students, it is worthwhile to have a conversation with your student about safety precautions they should take. Precautions may include:
- If you engage in intimate conversations electronically, it’s important that you know and trust the other person and that everyone involved is a consenting adult.
- Do not share personal information on social media. Scammers can use that information later to convince you that they are someone else.
- Use strong privacy settings, and do not add someone as a friend if you don’t know them personally.
Share these some common warning signs that a call may be a scam:
- 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.
- Scammers often “spoof” phone numbers of legitimate agencies. Number “spoofing” makes the victim’s caller ID display a legitimate phone number, often that appears to be within your geographic area or from your home country, 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.
- Scammers count on a sense of urgency. If a caller tells you to do something immediately or face consequences, the call is likely a scam.
If your student is unsure whether they are dealing with a scam, they may consult University Police by calling 217-333-1216 or emailing police@illinois.edu. They may also send the University Police an anonymous message using the contact form on their website.
Information from the University of Illinois Division of Public Safety.