A U. of I. student was scammed out of $300 when attempting to purchase Tyler the Creator concert tickets. The student was contacted by an unknown individual on GroupMe purporting to be a University of Illinois student. After sending the money via Apple Cash, the unknown individual suspended all communications with the student.

A U. of I. student was targeted in an online dating scam. The student reported meeting a woman on an online dating website. Their conversation then moved to WhatsApp, where the woman agreed to meet up with the student and give him a back massage for $200. Once the student arrived at the meeting spot, an unknown man called and instructed him to send the $200 via Zelle. Once the student sent the money, he was told to send an additional $500 as a deposit. The student then purchased $400 in gift cards and sent the card information to the [...]

A U. of I. student was targeted in a phone scam by someone posing as an ICE officer, claiming that a fraudulent passport had been issued in her name. The scammer used number spoofing to make the call appear legitimate and instructed the student to verify the phone number online. Later, the student received another spoofed call appearing to be from local law enforcement, warning her not to disclose the situation due to an "active investigation." The scammers convinced the student to buy 32 gift cards totaling nearly $10,000 to cover a supposed bond deposit. After discussing the situation with [...]

A U. of I. student reported being the victim of an internet-based scam. The student was selling a prom dress on Facebook and received a message from an individual interested in purchasing the dress. The scammers claimed she needed to upgrade to a business account to complete a transaction, demanding $130 via PayPal and Zelle, followed by additional payments. Later, someone posing as an FBI agent threatened financial consequences if she did not comply with further payment demands. The student ceased contact with the scammers and contacted police.

A woman reported being the victim of an internet-based scam. The woman intended to purchase a Dachshund puppy from a company in Nebraska and paid an $800 deposit through Venmo and ApplePay. She then was asked to pay over $2,000 across multiple transactions for the puppy, a flight, an insulated kennel, and mortality insurance. On the day the puppy was supposed to get delivered, the company informed her the dog had died, and she would be paid $56,000 through her insurance policy, with $10,000 arriving the following Monday. The woman has yet to receive a payment.