A U. of I. student reported that an unknown person sent him a message on Instagram and initiated a private conversation, during which the unknown person encouraged the student to send intimate photos of himself. The conversation moved to Snapchat, where the student sent intimate photos. After sending the photos, the unknown person demanded that the student send $800 under threat of publicly posting the photo. The student complied and sent $500 across three transactions. The student ceased contact with the scammer and contacted police.

An individual reported receiving two part-time job offers from people purporting to be Korn Ferry and Kelly Services employees via WhatsApp. After expressing his interest, the man was contacted by the "trainer," who explained how to complete the tasks. After completing a job, small amounts of cryptocurrency were deposited into his coin base. Eventually, the man was contacted by another unknown person who was also completing tasks, and this individual said he would need to pay small amounts of money to "unlock" new tasks. The price to unlock tasks started small, but the individual realized he was being scammed when [...]

A U of I student used Facebook Marketplace to sell clothing for $230 and was contacted by an interested buyer. The buyer sent $230 via Zelle, but the student never received the money. The buyer then asked the student to send $300 via Zelle because they overpaid, and the student complied. The buyer then requested an additional $500 from the student, who again complied. After receiving the second transaction, the buyer asked the student to share their bank account information. The student then realized they were being scammed, ceased contact with the scammer and contacted police.

A U. of I. student reported responding to a post she saw about an apartment lease in the "UIUC Housing Sublet & Roommates" Facebook group. After filling out the rental application and lease agreement, she was asked to send a deposit of $800 via Zelle. The initial transaction failed, so she sent $400 to two people. Once the transactions were complete, she was asked to send an additional $300 for apartment renovation costs to five different people, all of which failed. The student was then contacted by her bank, who advised her that the accounts had been flagged for scams [...]

A man reported receiving an email from someone purporting to be a representative of ORIC Pharmaceutical Company. After responding to the email, he was directed to contact a second individual via Microsoft Teams, and he was informed he would receive a $1,250 check via email. The scammer told the man to deposit the check into his account, go to the nearest CVS or Best Buy, purchase a $200 Sephora gift card and send them the receipt and card information. The man purchased the gift card but felt uneasy about the situation, so he discontinued communication with the scammer and contacted [...]