Fake investigation
A U. of I. student reported receiving a call from someone who claimed to be an officer with a Chinese police department and said that the student was involved in a criminal investigation. The caller instructed the student to wire money to an unknown account to clear her name. The student completed two wire transfers in March and April totaling $60,000.
UIPD Perspectives: Detective puts survivors back in control
URBANA, Ill. — Ensuring student, faculty and staff safety is the leading goal for the University of Illinois Police Department — especially Detective Michelle Kaeding. Kaeding has been with University Police for six and a half years and joined the detective bureau as the Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence Coordinator in July 2021. In working with domestic violence and sexual assault survivors, one of her key roles is safety planning. “Safety plans are essentially something that we can generate and offer to our community members who may be in domestic violence or sexual misconduct situations,” Kaeding said. “They can include [...]
Frozen funds
A U. of I. student reported that he had been the victim of a scam on Feb. 22. An unknown person sent the student a social media message that stated the student was eligible to receive $5,000 if he first sent $30 to the unknown person via an electronic transfer. The student did so, and then received three subsequent messages that he needed to send additional money to unfreeze the $5,000 he was promised. The student paid each time, ultimately losing $1,230 before reporting the scam to police.
Computer fraud
A U. of I. employee reported that she had been the victim of fraud. The employee received a pop-up notification on her personally owned computer indicating that the device had been locked and she needed to call a helpline to resolve the issue. The call-taker instructed the employee to visit a cryptocurrency terminal at a liquor store in Urbana and transfer funds to an unknown account. The employee transferred $28,500 in bitcoins before contacting police.
Sexual extortion
A U. of I. student reported that he was the victim of extortion. The student exchanged private social media messages with an unknown person, who eventually requested that the student send a lewd photo of himself. Upon receiving the photo, the unknown person threatened to send the photo to the student’s social media followers unless the student paid money to the unknown offender. The student ended the communication and reported the incident to police. No money was exchanged.