This semester, UMPD has received several reports of students being cheated out of money and/or personal identifying information through scams involving fake jobs or other fraudulent circumstances. Students are initially contacted via email or through postings on a jobs board. They are then asked to either wire money to, cash bad checks for, and/or purchase gift cards for the “employer”. These types of scams have caused some significant financial losses for members of our community.
To protect yourself from this type of activity, UMPD recommends the following:
* Do NOT submit your personal identifying information to anyone via email or text. No professional agency will request this information and demand a response via email.
* If it sounds too good to be true – it probably is. No one is legitimately going to “employ” you to cash checks and buy gift cards.
* Don’t expect that a suspicious-sounding job is legitimate just because it is posted on a trusted site or job board. If it seems suspicious, leave it alone, regardless of where you heard about it.
* Don’t assume that because an email to you contains some real information about you, that it is legitimate. It is easy for scammers to get information such as your school or hometown online.
If you believe that you have fallen victim to a scam, contact the UMass Police Department at (413) 545-2121 to file a report.
Posted:
Mar 21, 2019, 3:58 pm
Last Updated:
Mar 21, 2019, 4:02 pm
