Increase In Students Falling Victim To Scams

As the year comes to an end, OISS has been hearing more frequent reports of students falling victim to sophisticated telephone and internet scams designed to get their target to transfer money or personal information.  Callers often pretend to be from law enforcement and threaten the victims with arrest or deportation to convince them to transfer money or disclose personal information. 

We want you all to stay safe and happy and to avoid making any such costly mistakes.   

Recent scams have presented themselves as coming from a known phone number or email address. If a caller asks you for information, you can ask to call them back at a number you are familiar with.  It is safer if YOU make the call.  If they will not agree, then it is likely a scam. 

Please keep the following in mind:  

Neither the Police nor ICE nor the FBI: 

• will call you or make threats via telephone  
• will threaten arrest or other immediate action 
• will demand payment while on the telephone 
• will demand that you act before seeking advice 
• will demand that you act in secret 

Legitimate business phone calls will not: 

• Ask you for personal information over the phone 
• Threaten to suspend your social security number or your bank account 
• Require you to make immediate payment 

Please protect yourself by: 

• Not giving out personal information in contests or surveys. 
• Never giving personal information over the phone when you did not make the call.   
• Being aware of phishing where you receive an email asking you to verify personal information.   
• Don't give into pressure to take immediate action even if the caller may appear to be the US government, the FBI, Customs and Border Protection, the Social Security Administration, ICE or the IRS.  None of these offices will ever call you demanding money or personal information immediately over the phone. 
• Don’t give into pressure to take immediate action related to the winning of unsolicited prizes or vacation packages. 
• Don’t put forth your own money in order to secure a prize or employment.  

If you believe that you have encountered one of these scams, please let OISS and the TUPD know.  A police report may be necessary to recover some of your lost money. 

If you have any questions, feel free to reach to OISS at oiss@tulane.edu. 

Protect Yourself From Scams