University Police recently received reports of scams targeting students from scammers who claim to be employers at reputable companies. Scammers will use fraudulent links and email addresses that appear to be from legitimate companies. They ultimately “hire” the students but then send them counterfeit or stolen checks and ask the students to keep their salary and send back the remainder of the funds from the check.

Another common scam involves scammers sending unsolicited emails or calling individuals and demanding they send money or gift cards to pay off a phony debt or to obtain an unexpected financial windfall.

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

• If it sounds too good to be true, it is. 
• Never send funds (or buy gift cards) for someone who emails or calls you. Scammers often insist on gift cards because they can quickly remove the funds from the cards.
• Employers will not ask you to manage company financial situations using your personal accounts.
• Strangers will not send you legitimate checks.
• Be cautions and if in doubt, contact your local police department.
• 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.