Fake apartment sublease
A U. of I. student reported responding to a post she saw about an apartment lease in the "UIUC Housing Sublet & Roommates" Facebook group. After filling out the rental application and lease agreement, she was asked to send a deposit of $800 via Zelle. The initial transaction failed, so she sent $400 to two people. Once the transactions were complete, she was asked to send an additional $300 for apartment renovation costs to five different people, all of which failed. The student was then contacted by her bank, who advised her that the accounts had been flagged for scams [...]
University Police investigating multiple burglaries
CHAMPAIGN, Illinois – University Police are investigating nine burglary to motor vehicle (BMV) cases that occurred late Friday night and early Saturday morning in two campus parking garages. At 7:21 a.m. Saturday, UIPD officers were dispatched to the 200 block of East Green Street, Champaign, for three BMV reports. After speaking with the initial callers, officers located six additional victim vehicles. All nine vehicles had broken windows and were visibly rummaged through. The investigation is ongoing. University police are patrolling the area, and investigators are reviewing security camera footage and evidence collected at the scene. Police continue to seek any [...]
Fake job offer
A man reported receiving an email from someone purporting to be a representative of ORIC Pharmaceutical Company. After responding to the email, he was directed to contact a second individual via Microsoft Teams, and he was informed he would receive a $1,250 check via email. The scammer told the man to deposit the check into his account, go to the nearest CVS or Best Buy, purchase a $200 Sephora gift card and send them the receipt and card information. The man purchased the gift card but felt uneasy about the situation, so he discontinued communication with the scammer and contacted [...]
Fake immigration email
A man reported receiving an email from what appeared to be U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) stating he failed to report a change of address and threatened him with arrest, deportation and fines. After contacting the "USCIS Helpline," the individual provided the scammer with two forms of identification and received repeated phone calls from an unknown individual purporting to be an immigration agent. The scammer demanded he purchase Target gift cards in the amount of $375 to avoid criminal and financial consequences. The individual purchased 12 gift cards totaling $4,500 to be transferred to the scammer. Police were contacted, [...]
Fake apartment sublet
At the beginning of the year, a University of Illinois student sought a summer sublet in New York and received a message from someone on Reddit claiming to have an available apartment. After switching to text messages, the scammer emailed a sublet agreement, and the student paid a $1,200 deposit through CashApp. Upon arriving in New York, the landlord contacted the student about a package delivered to the apartment, revealing that the individual he was subletting from had been evicted and had been running this scam for some time. The student contacted police, and the scammer eventually refunded the student's [...]