Phone and internet scams are common no matter where you are. Be aware of how to identify scams and what to do if you encounter one.

Scammers are always coming up with new schemes, and they are becoming more believable. However, there are also several scams that are common on college campuses, and the scammers tend to target international students. Often, there are language or cultural barriers that make international students more susceptible.

Here are the red flags to keep in mind when you receive a call or message from an unknown person:

• No government official will ever demand money over the phone. If someone claims to be a police officer, immigration official, a tax agent, or any other government representative demanding money, the call is likely a scam.
• Scammers try to intimidate victims with empty threats of arrest or deportation. If a caller threatens to have you arrested if you hang up, the call is likely a scam.
• Often, scammers will demand payment in the form of something other than cash. If a caller directs you to purchase gift cards or transfer payment through a money app like Zelle, Venmo, Apple Pay, or in the form of virtual currency, the call is likely a scam.
• Sometimes, scammers will direct you to visit a series of banks to withdraw cash. Scammers know that withdrawing large amounts of cash raises red flags for bank employees, so they will direct the victim to visit a number of banks to withdraw smaller amounts, often over an extended period of time.
• Scammers often “spoof” phone numbers of legitimate agencies. Number “spoofing” makes the victim’s caller ID display a legitimate phone number even though the call is originating from somewhere entirely different. The scammer will even tell you to look up the phone number to verify its legitimacy. If you have doubts about a caller’s identity, you should hang up and call the listed number for that agency to speak to a representative.

If you encounter any of these red flags, hang up immediately and call police. The 24-hour non-emergency number for the University of Illinois Police Department is 217-333-1216. You can also email us at police@illinois.edu or file an online report.

We receive a large number of scam reports each year, but many others go unreported. Even though each scam is a little different from the next, there are six common themes that we see each year.

Sexual extortion — commonly known as “sextortion” — is a form of sexual exploitation where an unknown individual will contact you (often on social media) and encourage you to send intimate photos or videos of yourself. After the photo is sent, the unknown person will demand that you send them money under the threat of publicly posting the photo, or sending it to your social media contacts.

To avoid a “sextortion” scam:

• Remain vigilant and skeptical of online acquaintances whom you have never met in person. Remember, they may not tell the truth and aim to lure victims into a false sense of security.
• Ensure your privacy settings are set to an appropriate level so strangers cannot take note of your personal information or contacts/friends/followers.
• If you choose to engage in sexual activity on the internet, it is imperative that you know and trust the person on the other end and that everyone involved is a consenting adult.
• It is not recommended to pay a scammer. Offenders may return the next day for even more money.
• Those who do become a target or victim of sextortion should make note of the user’s online profiles, usernames and contact information to report to police. Communication with the offender should stop immediately.

These scams have been reported to the University of Illinois Police Department. We post them here so you can be better informed about what to watch out for.