College students are often the target for several scams, and in the first Safety Tip Tuesday video of the semester, UCCS Police Sergeant Lisa Dipzinski talked with Detective Martin Toetz, who often investigates scam reports.
Toetz said common scams that target college students are:
- Someone sends in a check in exchange of wrapping a car for an advertisement.
- A phone call saying your Social Security card has been compromised.
- A caller claims to be from a police department or sheriff’s office, and notifying you that you have to pay a fine.
- Job employment scams.
Employment scams are among the most common scams that target college students. The scammers will often use real names that can be verified by an internet search, promise money for little work or without a job interview. Toetz says some of the most common signs are when a student is emailed along with 20 or 30 people in alphabetical order, send a check with instructions to buy gift cards with that check, or ask to send personal information like driver’s license or Social Security card.
“If it’s too good to be true, it probably is,” Toetz said. He recommended that any student who believes they may be the victim of a scam, or received communication about a potential scam, to reach out to UCCS Police at (719) 255-3111.
The UCCS Police Department employs 17 sworn, state-certified and commissioned peace officers in addition to five campus service and housing security officers.
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