Whether college students are on campus, doing distance learning from their bedroom or taking down time with a gap year, scammers are finding inventive ways to target them.
As if the coronavirus pandemic isn’t devastating enough, a variety of COVID-19-related scams are tricking young victims out of cash and their identities. Victims of all ages have reportedly lost more than $175 million from fraud, according to the Federal Trade Commission.
What types of scams? Phony job offers. Promises of purchasing bitcoins. Offers for COVID-19 tests, vaccines and other products, according to the commission. Scammers are aiming to take advantage of the fear and uncertainty spawned by the pandemic.
For example, scammers commonly “spoof” a phone number or email so that it appears the call is from a government agency, a fellow student or university employee, or some other seemingly reputable person. However, according to the FTC, the thieves are often individuals working overseas.
In Wisconsin, regulators this fall issued warnings about college students being targeted by job scammers pitching work-at-home opportunities or as mystery shoppers. Typically the pitch offers lots of money for very little work. There’s never a formal interview, and the student only communicates via email. All are red flags.
Students are asked for bank account information or a Social Security number, according to the Better Business Bureau of Wisconsin.
“People in their 20’s are the most common target for employment scams,” the bureau said.
Here are some other common types of scams targeting college students and other young adults.
*Did your student receive a letter or email from the “financial department” at their college? The FTC reported that students are receiving fake emails of this kind, and when they enter their university username and password to log into any linked pages they’re sent, they’re exposing their name, email address and other personal details that the scammer can use or sell for cash.
*If your child receives an offer to change the interest rate on a student loan, or to take out a new student loan because of COVID-19, it’s most likely a scam, the FTC said. Its advice: Check it out by contacting the loan company directly using the phone number or email address on their website.
*College students are falling for the same fake antibody tests, fake cures, and holistic treatments as many other consumers. Check the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or Better Business Bureau websites before buying anything.
*If there’s another round of stimulus checks from the government, college students might wonder what happened to theirs. Fake emails and web links may trick students into exposing their identity details, the FTC said.
More Top Picks Best Fl 41 Glasses For Kids
Regulators advise potential victims to take screenshots or save any suspected fraudulent emails or letters and forward them to campus security. In addition, beware of hyperlinks found in web pages and emails coming from unfamiliar sources.
(Questions, comments, column ideas? Send an email to [email protected].)
(c)2020 Steve Rosen. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.