IUPD warns of Web scams

IU students that find a deal too good to be true may have to watch out: it could be a scam. A variety of scams on-campus, off-campus and online continue to hatch in an effort to take chunks out of students' wallets. \nIUPD statistics indicate since 1993, the IU Police Department has investigated 98 fraud cases totaling $118,000 in loses. The number of cases involving students is probably much higher, as many are put under the category of theft, IUPD Detective Greg McClure said. In addition, IUPD only investigates cases that happen on-campus; off-campus fraud is not included in the numbers.\n"If students know the basic scams and follow some sensible rules, they can avoid becoming the next con victim," McClure said. \nThe growing category of online scams is one of the main things students should look out for. \n"Without a doubt," IUPD Lt. Jerry Minger said, "the internet has increased fraud cases." \nAnd the case load for online fraud is still growing, Minger said.\nIn a recent case, a student found and bought a BMW for $9,000 dollars on an online auction site. The seller told the student to use an online escrow service, which is supposed to hold the money until the product is received, to exchange the money for the BMW. The student followed through, the escrow service turned out to be fake, and the student ended up without his money or BMW. IUPD later investigated the seller and found the money was going into two different bank accounts from their online auctions. After investigating the accounts, IUPD discovered most of the money was being sent to Ghana, a country in West Africa, and only a small amount was recovered.\n"We see scams that sometimes send the money to four different countries," McClure said, "Once it's out of the states, there isn't much we can do."\nA second scam involving online auctions that has been seen on campus is one where the buyer sends the seller a check worth thousands more then the agreed upon price of an item. The buyer tells a story about why this mistake happened, and asks the seller to send the money back. After the seller sends this money back, the check turns out to be fraudulent and he loses the money he sent, McClure said. \n"If someone makes a request like that," McClure said, "You pretty much know it's fraud right off the bat."\nAccording to eBay's Web site, the best way to avoid online auction scams is by first checking the seller's feedback. If feedback is bad, or non-existent, extreme caution should be used in making a purchase. \nThe main scams that get students on campus involve solicitations, McClure said. Door-to-door magazine sales in the dorms is one of the main ones, with an influx at the beginning of the year. The magazine salesman claims to be an IU student working for a scholarship or trip. In reality, they move from campus to campus trying to sell magazines, and solicitation in dorms is against the University code, McClure said. IUPD has been called about the solicitors stealing from dorm rooms, and becoming aggressive with female students. Minger said IUPD receives five to 10 calls involving solicitors every semester. McClure recommends students report anyone soliciting inside the dorms to their Resident Assistant immediately. \nSolicitors trying to obtain applications for credit cards are also a potential con for students to look out for, McClure said. Banks often hire a third party, with part time employees taking the applications, to come on campus to sign up students. The credit card applications contain all the information necessary to take a person's identity, and occasionally they are stolen and used for this purpose. \nHowever, because all solicitations on campus must be stationary and approved by the Student Activities Office, students should stick to only these booths, McClure said.\n-- Contact staff writer Mike Wilson at mhwilson@indiana.edu .