Avoid scams – if in doubt, check and verify

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On October 1, 2020

University Police received reports recently of several phone scams. The scammers typically request the identifier information to “verify” an issue or demand immediate repayment for a debt with some type of threat if the payment is not immediately made.    

Doug Roberts, chief of Missouri S&T’s University Police, offers the following tips to avoid falling for a scam:

  • Never respond to unsolicited calls or emails requesting personal identifying information or requesting unexpected debt repayment. Scammers have become more creative and often “spoof” phone numbers for legitimate agencies to make the call look as though it originated from a local number, campus number or a governmental authority. 
  • If in doubt, check and verify.
  • Before giving out any personal identifier information or paying off a previously unknown debt, please verify the legitimacy of the request by hanging up and contacting the company or organization making the request via a phone number or secure website with https:// at the beginning of the URL. Make sure you research the number and do not use a number provided by the caller.   
  • You may also contact your local law enforcement agency to help determine the legitimacy of the request. 
  • The University Police department is available to you 24/7 via the Rave Guardian App or at 341-4300. The department is located in Room G-10 Campus Support Facility. In an emergency, dial 911.

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On October 1, 2020. Posted in Announcements