We have been made aware that several members of our international community have recently been targeted by individuals claiming to be the U.S. government or embassy and asking for large sums of money. These are scams. A scam is a dishonest attempt to obtain money or something else of value. Scammers are people who will lie and misrepresent themselves as people with skill or authority to their victims. While you should always be vigilant to protect yourself from scammers, the current global uncertainty regarding the pandemic has increased the number of scam attempts in our community.
Scams can come in many forms. Scammers often know the names and some biographical information about their victims, which can make them appear to be more official. Victims can be contacted via mail, email, phone calls, text messages, internet websites or even in-person.
If you receive a call/message from an unknown source, these are the red flags that should make you highly suspicious:
- 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.
- Never give out bank account information, credit card numbers, or your Social Security number to someone who you do not know. Scammers may trick you into giving them this information unwillingly. Always verify someone's identity and that they are from a legitimate organization before you give them personal information.
- 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 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.
- 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.
- Hang up! Scammers know that if they can keep you on the phone with them long enough, they can convince you they are legitimate.
What should you do if you receive a suspicious call?
- Hang up the phone! Callers can be very persuasive and scary. Do not stay on the phone with them.
- Do not give any personal information out to anyone you do not know.
- Call the police to report the fraud attempt. The 24-hour non-emergency number for the University of Illinois Police Department (UIPD) is 217-333-1216.
- Check with ISSS if you are not sure if something is a fraud or not.
- Warn your friends that this happened to you. You can prevent this from happening to others.
If you are concerned you may have been contacted by a scammer, we encourage you to report this to UIPD. The 24-hour non-emergency number for UIPD is 217-333-1216.