A U. of I. student reported that she was the victim of an internet-based scam. The student was contacted via social media by someone purporting to represent an artist and offering money to use one of the student’s photos in a project. The scammer told the student that the client would send a $2,000 digital deposit to the student, and the student was to return a portion of that money to a third party to pay for materials. The student paid $1,500 to the scammers before realizing that the original deposit had not cleared.

A U. of I. student sent intimate photos of himself to an unknown person whom he met online. The offender then demanded a $100 payment or else the photos would be shared with the student’s social media contacts. The student complied with the demand and then blocked the offender.

A U. of I. student received a call from an unknown person who claimed that the student was wanted on a Chinese arrest warrant related to international money laundering. Several subsequent callers made demands for money, claiming that payment would resolve the matter. The student complied each time. In total, the student was defrauded of $213,563.

A woman reported that she was the victim of a phone-based scam. The caller claimed to be a federal law enforcement officer and said there was a warrant for her arrest. To avoid arrest, the caller instructed her to withdraw money from her bank account, convert it to cryptocurrency and transfer it to an unknown account. The woman lost $3,426 in the scam.

A U. of I. student reported that a caller threatened the student with deportation and then instructed her to send $2,950 through a mobile banking app to several unknown accounts. After those transactions were completed, the student received a second call instructing her to purchase $1,000 worth of gift cards at a local retailer and transfer the card information to another person. The student completed the purchase and the transfer of card information.