Pitt community members have been targeted through a variety of scams, resulting in significant loss of money and emotional distress. Pitt Police want to make you aware of the types of scams that you may encounter and how to protect yourself.
The first thing to know is how to recognize the red flags that you're being targeted.
Anyone who demands payment in gift cards, such as Google Play or iTunes, or cryptocurrency, such as Bitcoin, and wants you to pay them immediately should be indications that someone is likely scamming you. Government agencies, whether they are federal, state or local, will never make such calls, wouldn’t make threats and wouldn’t ask for such payments.
Here are some common scams to avoid:
Spoofing Scams
This scam is part of a broader, national trend in which a legitimate phone number — such as one belonging to the Pitt Police — appears on the victim’s caller ID. The Pitt Police Department and its officers will never use one of its numbers to solicit money or make demands.
We advise anyone receiving such a call to hang up. Then, call the police department to ask if someone called you. If not, please file a report.
We also ask the community to always be wary of anyone who calls and threatens imprisonment or deportment and asks for immediate payment in gift cards or crypto-currency.
Blackmail Behavior Scams
Scammers target college students by obtaining potentially damaging personal information or photos and then extorting them for money. Often, the student is caught on video doing something inappropriate or has shared intimate photos with a person they met on a dating app or social media platform.
The blackmailer will then threaten to publish the content unless payment is made immediately through wire, gift cards or peer-to-peer payments. Even if the student complies, the blackmailer will continue to demand more money, photos or sexual favors and threaten to publish the materials across social media platforms.
In addition to the financial impact, behavior blackmail can also have a devastating psychological effect on its victim.
Here's how you can help prevent behavior blackmail with these tips:
- Be cautious when dating online, especially if you have not yet met the person.
- If using a dating or social media app, keep your privacy settings to the strictest level.
- Do not share compromising photos with anyone, even dating partners. Not all relationships last forever or end on amicable terms.
- Do not save intimate photos on your device.
If you believe you are a victim of a behavior blackmail incident, please report it to the Pitt Police at 412-624-2121 and stop communicating with the blackmailer. Do not send them any money through wire, gift cards, or peer-to-peer (P2P) payments.
Tax Scams
Another common scam is when someone calls on the telephone and pretends to be an employee of a government agency, such as the IRS or a local police department, and request personal information or money in various forms. A legitimate government agency will never ask for your social security number, request payments such as wire or gift cards, or overpay you with a check.
International students may receive a call from someone pretending to be from a government agency and claiming that there is a problem with your immigration documents or visa renewal.These scammers will also threaten to arrest you or have you kicked out of school.
If you believe a call is suspicious, hang up and report it to Pitt Police at 412-624-2121.
If you are concerned about your visa or immigration status, please call the U.S. Citizenship Immigration Service’s National Customer Service Center at 1-800-375-5283.
A scammer's goal is to get to your money. To do so, they'll pretend to be legitimate agencies or companies you do business with, such as:
- Your bank.
- The IRS. If the IRS ever contacts you, it will likely do so through regular, first-class mail, and would never threaten to contact other agencies for your cooperation.
- A technical support service claiming to be with Microsoft or Apple, telling you that someone has tried to log in to your account. Generally, don’t click on links in unfamiliar emails. And unless you have initiated contact with a tech support representative or company, do not give a third party access to your computer.
- Someone interested in your Instagram or other social media posts that you do not know or are unfamiliar with.
- Someone offering you a guaranteed scholarship or student loan debt relief, especially if they need your Social Security, bank account, or credit card numbers.
- Potential roommates and landlords. If they can’t meet with you in person, or they can only communicate through email, they are likely not legitimate.
- Someone pretending to be with PayPal. PayPal often communicates by way of email, but they will never ask you for your password, bank account or credit card information, and they will never ask you to download or install software.
- Someone claiming to have a work-from-home job involving re-packaging or re-shipping merchandise. If they are claiming to pay you at a rate for a job that sounds like it’s too good to be true, then it is.
- A rideshare driver whose name, picture, and vehicle do not match the information provided on the app, asks to be paid in cash, or won’t let you out of the vehicle. If any of those are the case, call 911 immediately.
If you ever have a doubt, just hang up. Scammers will try to keep you on the line, but just hang up. Then, on your own, look up the number of the company or agency through an independent source, such as the official website, and call that number. Verify whether or not they tried to contact you.
Also, ask a friend, teacher, relative or police officer what they think. Chances are, if they think it sounds like a scam, they may be right.
If you think you have been scammed, please report it to Pitt Police by calling 412-624-2121.
Protecting Yourself
- Increase the privacy settings on your social media accounts to help reduce your chances of being targeted.
- Never, ever share your debit card or PIN number or other personal identification number with anyone. Not a roommate, not a friend, not a dating partner. Also, when making online purchases, it’s better to use a credit card instead of a debit card.
- Do not carry your Social Security card. Memorize the number.
- Be increasingly careful of how you use P2P apps, such as CashApp and Venmo. As their use grows, so too will scammers’ attempts to exploit them. Try not to use the apps to make payments on goods and services. And never send or accept P2P payments from someone you don’t know.
- Trust your gut, if something feels wrong, it probably is!