Scams and Con Games
Con games and fraudulent scams are nothing new and can occur anywhere – even in the SIUE vicinity. The different types of con games practiced are quite numerous and varied. As a rule of thumb, always be suspicious of people or telephone calls that make an immediate demand for money and/or threaten you with arrest. The more aggressive or harder they push for money, the more suspicious you should be. Any legitimate collection effort will not object to you doing some research and verifying the validity of their request. Below are some of the more common or recent scams:
IRS Scam
On Tuesday, Jan. 20, a male subject attempted to scam a member of the SIUE community. In this scam, a person will phone you and claim to be an IRS employee. The caller claims that you owe the IRS money, and if you do not send them a certified check within three hours, you will be arrested. If asked for a telephone number, the caller will provide a telephone number. If you call that telephone number, the person who answers the telephone will answer with “IRS”. This telephone number is simply a telephone number they are using to perpetuate the fraud. It is not a telephone number for the IRS. The IRS does not demand immediate collection of tax debts via unsolicited telephone calls. Do not pay any money or provide your credit/debit card information to anyone who purports to be an IRS employee over the telephone. If you want to check the validity of the alleged “IRS” telephone call, do not call the number that the caller provided. You should look up the telephone number for your local IRS office and call that number to check on the validity of the alleged “IRS” telephone call.
SIUE Scam
Back on Wednesday, Dec. 17, a male subject used this scam to defraud money from an unsuspecting member of the SIUE community. In this scam, a person will phone you and identify themselves as being from the local police department, State Department or some other official agency. With today’s technology, the caller's telephone number might even show up as the local police department. The caller will inform you that you failed to pay a tax or fee associated with SIUE and, if the money isn’t paid on that date, a warrant will be issued for your arrest. The caller might even provide official sounding “warrant numbers” (i.e. 3504141TM8296 or CFI0110927802). The telephone number the caller is using is simply a fraudulent telephone number they are using to perpetuate the fraud. It is not a telephone number for the local police department. SIUE does not demand immediate collection of delinquent fees/fines/payments through unsolicited telephone calls or private collection agencies. Do not pay any money or provide your credit/debit card information to anyone who purports to be a SIUE employee over the telephone. If you want to check the validity of the alleged “delinquent fee” telephone call, do not call the number that the caller provided. You should look up the telephone number for your local police department and call that number to check on the validity of the call. You can also call the SIUE Bursar’s Office at (618) 650‑3123 to determine if you are delinquent in any SIUE fees/fines/payments.
Bank Examiner Scam
A subject will call you and claim to be from a bank or a police department. The subject will tell you that several accounts at the bank, including yours, show large withdrawals and he suspects a dishonest employee. Your cooperation is requested to catch the thief. The subject will ask you to go to your bank and withdraw a certain amount of money from a specific teller window. You are instructed to put the money in an envelope and hand it to the “examiner” when they approach you outside the bank. The subject tells you that he will redeposit the money into your account and that you can return to the bank in a few days to have your account adjusted. When you return in a few days, you discover that there were no account irregularities and that your money has been stolen. A newer version of this scam involves receiving an email advising you that there is a problem with your account and requesting that you provide your account number and password. Never provide this type of information over the Internet, unless you initiated the contact with the bank/company.
Secret Shopper Scam
This is an Internet-based scam where you receive an email advising that you have been selected to work as a “secret shopper.” The email will have an “employee information form” that you need to complete with your personal information. Once you have returned the form to the sender, you receive your first task, which usually involves evaluating Western Union’s quality of customer service. You receive a check for $800 with instructions to deposit the check into your bank account ($500 is for the task and $300 is your payment for completing the task). You then go to Western Union, write them a check for $500 and have it wired to a certain location. Once the task is completed, you are instructed to complete an evaluation form on the quality of customer service and send it back to the secret shopper company. The con artist goes to the location where you wired the money and retrieves it. You later receive notification that the $800 check did not clear your bank, because it was fraudulent. You have just been swindled out of $500. Plus, the con artist now has your personal identity information from the “employee information form.”
Solicitor Scam
In this scam, a person will approach you and solicit a donation for a charitable organization or offer to sell you a magazine subscription as a fundraising project. Very little, if any, of your contribution actually goes to a charitable organization. And the odds are slim to none that you actually will receive the magazine subscription. If you tell these subjects that you don’t have any cash, they are more than willing to accept your credit/debit card. Never provide solicitors with your credit/debit card information. SIUE does not allow unregistered soliciting on campus. If someone approaches you for a donation, immediately ask to see his/her SIUE letter of authorization for solicitation. If they can’t produce such a letter, do not contribute to their cause.
