A woman reported receiving a message from an unknown person on Instagram asking her to be a muse for an art project. After agreeing, she received a text message from the scammer telling her she would receive $2,500 but requested $500 for supplies. When she refused, the scammer emailed her a $400 check and asked her to send it back. After depositing the check, she received a threatening text from another number with a photo of an injured person, demanding repayment via Zelle. The woman complied but discontinued communication with the scammer and contacted police.

A U. of I. student reported being the victim of an internet-based scam in April. The student was contacted via the chat feature on the website Deviant Art by someone purporting to be an artist who wanted to use one of the student's drawings as inspiration in exchange for credit and compensation. After allowing his work to be used, the conversation moved to the communications app Discord, where the student was asked for his banking information, which he provided. After receiving a check via email, the student was asked to send money via Zelle and PayPal. These checks and deposits [...]

A U. of I. student used Facebook to sell a mobile phone and was contacted by an interested buyer. The two met up to complete the transaction, and the buyer drove away with the phone before the student realized that he had been paid with counterfeit money.

A U. of I. student reported that he received several phone calls and text messages from an unknown person who was threatening to harm the student's family members unless the student sent money. The student used Zelle to send $3,000 in two transactions to an unknown person. The scammer demanded even more money to "cancel the hit man." Police were contacted, and the student discontinued contact with the scammer.

An Illinois student reported that she was seeking an apartment sublease near her summer internship in Madison, Wisconsin, and sent a text message to an unknown person advertising an apartment on Craigslist. The advertiser asked the student to complete an application and send it back with a copy of her driver's license. The advertiser then asked for a security deposit of $1,100, paid via wire transfer. Since completing the transfer, the student has not been able to contact the advertiser.