A U. of I. student reported that he attempted to buy a $1,400 item he saw advertised on Facebook. He contacted the seller and agreed to send the money in three separate transactions through Zelle. The seller stopped communicating with the student after the money was sent.

A U. of I. student attempting to sublet an apartment received an email from an unknown person who said they would take the apartment. The unknown person sent the student a check for $3,850 to cover rent for the whole sublease period. The student deposited the check, and then the renter said they changed their mind and needed the money back. The student returned the money to two separate accounts, only to find out later that the original check never cleared.

A U. of I. student reported that she received text messages from an unknown person who claimed that they had been hired to harm her. The unknown person sent the student a picture that the student previously had posted on social media, presumably in an attempt to legitimize the threat. The unknown person also sent a video of other people being harmed and said the student would need to pay $4,000 to call off the threat. The student did not pay and blocked the number.

A U. of I. student reported that she was contacted by a person who claimed to be a Chinese Customs agent and that the student was implicated in a criminal conspiracy. The student was directed to create fake emails to disseminate to other people, and also to download applications on her electronic devices that would monitor her actions. She was directed to wire nearly $100,000 to a third party to avoid prosecution. The scam took place in multiple contacts over the course of about two months.

A U. of I. student reported that he received a phone call in August from someone claiming that a package the student allegedly sent to China was stopped at Customs and was found to contain fake passports and credit cards. The student never sent a package. He was transferred to a second person claiming to be a Chinese police officer, who instructed the student to keep his webcam on at all times so that an investigations agent could keep track of him under threat of arrest and deportation. A series of calls occurred in September and October, during which the [...]