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It is not uncommon for students to report to CUPD that they have lost money due to a scam. They prey on the student’s needs and try to exploit them. Most of the time, the criminals are located outside of the United States which makes tracking them down, returning the money and bringing them to justice virtually impossible. That is why it is very important to be cautious when your student is dealing online with money and situations that seem too good to be true because, oftentimes, they are.

The most common scam that we see involve quick and easy opportunities for work, threats involving government agencies such as the IRS or the Social Security Administration and even romantic extortion. Many times, the criminals use relevant topics such as raising money for the wildfire efforts or, most recently, the COVID-19 vaccines.

According to the Federal Trade Commission, here are the best ways to avoid a scam.

• Don’t share your personal or financial information with someone that you didn’t expect to hear from. Legitimate organizations won’t call, email, or text to ask for your personal information, like your Social Security number, bank account information, or credit card numbers.

• Don’t feel pressure to act quickly. Real businesses will give you time to make a decision and should not pressure you to do something immediately.

• Recognize how scammers want you to pay. If someone represents a legitimate business or organization, they will not ask you to pay with a gift card or by using a money transfer service. And never deposit a check and send money back to someone. Their check will surely bounce after they cash your check and you will lose your money.

• Stop and talk to someone you trust. Before you do anything else, tell a friend, a family member, a neighbor or a police officer about what you are being asked to do. Talking about it could help you realize it’s a scam.

If your student was or thinks they were scammed, they can file a . Hopefully, this will never happen to anyone else.