The Daily reports that two of UW’s international students were targeted recently by scammers who used a combination of role-playing, surveillance, and phony documents to steal $195,000. A link to the story and tips for spotting and avoiding scams follow.
Tips for avoiding scams:
- Review Scam Warnings for International Students on UW’s CIRCLE website.
- Beware of any requests for transfers of money or gift cards.
- Messages that solicit money, ask for your financial or bank account information, or offer to send you money should be regarded as highly suspicious.
- Regard with suspicion any unsolicited phone calls (or email or text messages) that offer support for banking, computer, or technical services.
- Be cautious about clicking links in email, even from someone you know.
- Use strong passwords and protect your UW NetID credentials.
- Report suspected email scams to security@uw.edu.
- If you’ve been a victim of a scam, contact your local law enforcement, such as UW Police.
Resources
CIRCLE: Scam Warnings for International Students
IT Connect: Employment Scams Targeting Students
FTC: Avoiding and reporting scams
OIS:
A guide to scams for incoming students
Student Scams online training