Office of Information Security

February 28, 2024

Slam the Scam!

The Social Security’s Office has designated Thursday, March 7  Slam the Scam Day to raise awareness of government imposter scams. Job, loan, and gift card scams have been prevalent at UW for the past few years, but there are many other types of scams targeting the UW community. Recently, The Daily reported that two of UW’s international students were tricked by scammers who used a combination of role-playing, surveillance, and phony documents to steal $195,000.

Scams are constantly being adapted to trick students, faculty, and staff to part with their money, personally identifiable information, financial information, login credentials, or all of the above. Review the tips and resources below to help slam the scams aimed at the UW community.

Tips

  1. Check out the OIS scams page on IT Connect and share the information with others.
  2. Read about employment scams targeting UW students here.
  3. Beware of requests for transfers of money or gift cards.
  4. Messages that solicit money, ask for your financial or bank account information, or offer to send you money should be regarded as highly suspicious.Be aware that scammers may send you phony checks that initially clear and make funds immediately available, and then bounce–leaving you on the hook for the money.
  5. Report suspected email scams that target the UW community to security@uw.edu.

Resources