PAL program preaches positivity with young people
URBANA, Illinois — Shaniece Cooper’s weekly class at Urbana Middle School doesn’t teach math or history. It teaches positivity and community. “We have a curriculum, but we’re at the point where they tell us what they want to learn,” she said. Cooper is the Juvenile Engagement Coordinator at the University of Illinois Police Department, and she also coordinates the department’s involvement in the Police Athletics/Activities League (PAL). The goal of PAL is to bridge the gap between law enforcement and young members of the community. Cooper has been visiting Urbana Middle School every Tuesday since September, when the PAL program [...]
Tech support scam
A U. of I. student received an email from an unknown sender stating that her paid subscription to a technical support service was to be renewed. The student replied to the message to cancel the service and was led through a series of steps that involved the student disclosing bank account information to the scammer and providing $1,000 in gift cards. In total, the student lost $1,800.
Sexual extortion
An unknown person contacted a U. of I. student through social media and encouraged him to send intimate photos of himself. The offender then threatened to send those photos to the student’s social media contacts unless he paid $1,200. The student sent $40, which was all that was available to him.
University Police investigate off-campus stabbing
CHAMPAIGN, Illinois – University of Illinois Police are investigating a stabbing that occurred off campus early Friday and left two U. of I. students with non-life-threatening injuries. At 1:54 a.m. Friday, police were called to the 100 block of East Green Street, Champaign. Officers found two students in need of medical assistance in an alleyway. One had a superficial stab wound, and the other had multiple stab wounds to the abdomen. The students reported that they had been involved in a verbal argument with three people prior to the incident. Those three fled from the area after the stabbing. Multiple [...]
Sketchy Etsy vendor
A U. of I. student reported that she was the victim of fraud after attempting to purchase a camera online. The student paid $677 to purchase the camera from a private vendor who listed the item for sale in an online marketplace. The camera never arrived, and the student later learned that the vendor had provided false tracking numbers. The vendor was unreachable after the student recognized the scam.