Phone Scam Alert 10/4

Tufts University Police Department (TUPD) recently received two reports regarding money scams. We would like to share a brief description of each scam to prevent any other Tufts Community Member from becoming a victim.

The first scam involved a caller claiming to be a police officer or police department representative. The telephone number was spoofed so that it appeared the call was coming from an actual police department. The caller indicated that the victim was in some type of trouble and needed to pay $2200 to help rectify the problem. The caller indicated that the payment was just a formality and that 90% of the money would be returned to the victim.

The second scam involved a caller claiming to be a lawyer. The caller advised the victim that their VISA was due to expire and the victim would have to pay $2500 to cover legal fees to address this issue. The victim was advised to transfer $2500 into the caller’s account.

In each case, the victim made the payment but never heard from the caller again.

Please be advised that no US government official, police officer, or lawyer would randomly call you and request a bank transfer over the phone. If you receive one of these calls, do not panic and transfer money. Gather as much information about the caller as you can (i.e., telephone number, name, etc.) and report the incident to TUPD.

To learn more or report a scam, visit our information page here.