Boston University

09/06/2024 | News release | Distributed by Public on 09/07/2024 02:34

Frauds Committed against BU Students Prompt Police Warning

Frauds Committed against BU Students Prompt Police Warning

Here's how to protect yourself from becoming a victim

The Boston University Police Department has tips for protecting yourself against scammers of various stripes. Photo via iStock/ronstik

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Frauds Committed against BU Students Prompt Police Warning

Here's how to protect yourself from becoming a victim

September 6, 2024
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Fraudsters targeted Terriers with a reported 29 larceny scams in the year ending August 22, 2024, taking more than $469,000 from students, according to the Boston University Police Department (BUPD).

A half dozen scams involved fraudulent jobs or research opportunities, with another half dozen involving impersonations. Of the latter, says Ryan Menzel, research analyst for the BUPD, "Three involved the impersonation of domestic officials or law enforcement," while three more featured scammers pretending to be foreign officials or police.

Eyepopping fact: those three foreign-impersonation scams netted 88 percent of all the money stolen from students: $415,000.

Fraud isn't confined to one strategy, Menzel adds: "Scams that BUPD saw over the past academic year occurred via methods which included email, WeChat, text, phone call, Instagram, and Facebook Marketplace."

Menzel gives examples of scams-some that worked and some that didn't-in just this calendar year:

On January 12, someone posing as a BU public safety official requested money of a student via Venmo. No money was sent. On April 25, someone claiming to be from the Federal Communications Commission called and threatened a student with arrest if they did not pay $250,000. The student reported the theft to the BUPD, which was able to retrieve all the money. On July 9, a scammer pretending to be a BU professor asked a student to send them a check to join a research endeavor. And on August 14, scammers impersonating foreign government officials coaxed a BU student to send them gift cards.

"Boston University professors will never ask for money in order to join a research project," Menzel says.

The BUPD offers this guide to protecting yourself from, and reporting, fraud (scroll down to the site's "Fraud" link). Tips include:

  • If someone tells you that you are being investigated, speak to the local police, the Boston University Police, a parent, or a trusted friend.
  • Do not send money or give out personal information in response to an unexpected request-whether it comes as a text, a phone call, or an email.
  • Wiring money through services like Western Union or MoneyGram is risky because it is nearly impossible to get your money back. That's also true of cards (like MoneyPak or Reloadit) and gift cards (like iTunes or Google Play). Government offices and honest companies won't require you to use these payment methods.
  • Do not believe your caller ID. Technology makes it easy for scammers to fake caller ID information, so the name and number you see are not always real. If someone calls asking for money or personal information, hang up. If you think the caller might be telling the truth, call back to a number you know is genuine.

In addition, the department offers the following protection advice from the Federal Trade Commission:

Block unwanted calls and text messages.

Take steps to block unwanted calls and to filter unwanted text messages.

Don't give your personal or financial information in response to a request that you didn't expect.

Honest organizations won't call, email, or text to ask for your personal information, like your Social Security, bank account, or credit card numbers.

If you get an email or text message from a company you do business with and you think it's real, it's still best not to click on any links. Instead, contact them using a website you know is trustworthy. Or look up their phone number. Don't call a number they gave you or the number from your caller ID.

Resist the pressure to act immediately.

Honest businesses will give you time to make a decision. Anyone who pressures you to pay or give them your personal information is a scammer.

Know how scammers tell you to pay.

Never pay someone who insists you pay with cryptocurrency, a wire transfer service like Western Union or MoneyGram, a payment app, or a gift card. And never deposit a check and send money back to someone.

Stop, and talk to someone you trust.

Before you do anything else, tell someone-a friend, a family member, a neighbor-what happened. Talking about it could help you realize it's a scam.

The bottom line, says Dan Healy, BUPD deputy chief: "Pause and think-no legitimate business, government official, or university professor will ever ask you for money in exchange for services. Scammers count on creating urgency to rush your decisions. Take your time, consult others, and protect yourself from fraud."

Contact the BUPD at 617-353-2121.

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  • Rich Barlow

    Senior Writer

    Rich Barlow is a senior writer at BU Today and Bostonia magazine. Perhaps the only native of Trenton, N.J., who will volunteer his birthplace without police interrogation, he graduated from Dartmouth College, spent 20 years as a small-town newspaper reporter, and is a former Boston Globe religion columnist, book reviewer, and occasional op-ed contributor. Profile

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