UT Police has been advised of multiple students receiving an email offering part-time employment opportunities by a faculty or staff member. In the email, the sender offers a weekly dollar amount and asks the recipient to send their private email. These are scam emails.
Typically, the scam works when the student responds to the email. The scammer then sends a check asking the student to cash it and forward most, or all, of the money back to the scammer in some form (bitcoin or gift cards). Scammers use various reasons for requesting the check to be cashed. The check turns out to be a forgery, and the student is then responsible for the amount cashed by their bank.
Things to consider:
- Does the email contain odd information? For example, stating you owe money that you are not aware of, obtaining your name from a location you are not familiar with, or looking for help with something you have no connection to.
- Does the email contain poor punctuation, misspelled words, sentence fragments, etc.?
- Does the sender’s email address come from an institution or a general Gmail or Outlook account?
- Research the person or institution and call for verification.
- If you are not sure about the content, have a friend or family member review for a different perspective.
Check out this link from the Federal Trade Commission for more information on avoiding fraud.
UT Health San Antonio Police Department is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Never hesitate to contact the department by dialing 210-567-2800 or 911 for emergencies. UT Health San Antonio Police can also be contacted through the UT Health SAfe mobile safety app, available for free download for Apple and Android users.