Community Safety Advisory - Department of Public Safety (2024)

SCAM ALERT

The USC Department of Public Safety has received reports from students, many of whom are international students, who were deceived into giving money to impostors posing as law enforcement officials or representatives of agencies including the Social Security Administration, IRS, U.S. Customs, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and Department of Homeland Security. Some impostors or “scammers” represent themselves as a government official from an international student’s home country.

Last year alone, USC students reported being victims to these scams with a combined total loss of more than $1 million. To avoid being a victim of a scam, please read the following information carefully:

TIPS TO AVOID SCAMS

1. International Police Extortion Scams

In a recent FBI Public Service Announcement, the FBI is warning the public about scammers impersonating Chinese police officers to defraud the US-based Chinese community and in particular, Chinese university students.

Scammers will mask (or “spoof”) their true phone numbers and make it appear as if they are calling from a mobile telephone service provider, a large retailer, a delivery service, or the Chinese Embassy/Consulate. The scammers tell victims that their personal identifiable information is linked to a subject or victim of a financial fraud investigation.

A scammer posing as a Chinese police officer then informs victims of the details of the financial fraud investigation. The scammer then provides the victim with fraudulent documentation such as purported law enforcement credentials, the victim’s Chinese national identification photo, and other documents outlining the alleged charges.

The victim is then told to return to China or they will be arrested. They are also told to consent to 24/7 video and audio monitoring, to report their daily activities, and to not conduct any internet searches. The scammer then directs the victim to wire a large sum of money to a Chinese ban account to prove their innocence or to post bail to avoid having to return to China. The scammers have also been reported to direct victims to lie to their friends and family, to serve as a money mule, or to facilitate a similar criminal scheme against other US-based Chinese university students.

If you are contacted by someone accusing you of a crime, do not release any personal or financial information, do not send any money, and cease contact with the individual. If you are contacted by any government agency for an allegedly official purpose, you may verify the contact is official by directly contacting the agency to confirm the legitimacy of the interaction.

If you or a fellow student receive a call like this, report it to your local FBI field office. Also, report it online to the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) at www.ic3.gov.

2. Phone Calls and Emails

Never provide personal information or money to anyone who has contacted you by phone, email or social media claiming you have violated your immigration status or owe taxes and must wire money or buy gift cards in order to straighten out your immigration status. In many cases, callers will use a technique to mask their true caller ID with another government listed phone number or number of a private institution like a bank. If you are unsure about who is calling, tell the individual that you are busy and write down the caller’s name and phone number. If the caller refuses, hang up. Government agencies do not request payment over the phone.

If you are contacted by a scammer, do not reveal any personal information. Ask for the individual’s contact information and report the incident immediately to DPS and/or your local law enforcement agency.

3. Tax Scams

Scammers also try to get you to give them money by calling and saying they are with the IRS. An increasing number of phone scams have occurred in which people will call and threaten you with police arrest and/or deportation if you do not pay them.

It is important to know, even if you do owe taxes:

The IRS will never call to demand immediate payment over the phone.
The IRS will never threaten or intimidate you, demand payment with a prepaid debit card or ask for your credit card or debit card number over the phone.
The IRS will never threaten to call the police or immigration agents if you do not pay.
If you or a fellow student receive a call like this, report it to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration online, or by calling (800) 366-4484. Also, report it online to the Federal Trade Commission.

WHAT TO DO IF YOU BELIEVE YOU HAVE BEEN DECEIVED

If you believe that you are a victim of theft because you have been tricked or deceived, please notify DPS at:

University Park Campus (213) 740-6000
Health Sciences Campus (323) 442-1200
If you are in immediate danger, call the LAPD at 911 or DPS at (213) 740-4321 for UPC or (323) 442-1000 for HSC.

If you have any questions regarding this advisory, please contact the DPS Community Relations Office at (213) 821-6690.

USC Department of Public Safety