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“Is this a scam?” Why Awareness Is Key to Scam Prevention, and How to Report It

Scams are frequent nationwide, and college campuses are no exception. At the University of Michigan, students, faculty, and staff continue to be targeted by increasingly sophisticated schemes designed to steal money, personal information, or access to accounts. While scams can and do take many forms, one thing remains constant: Awareness and staying informed are the strongest tools we have for prevention.

The Division of Public Safety & Security (DPSS) is committed to helping our community recognize, avoid, and report fraudulent activity. By understanding how scams work and knowing where to seek help, you can protect yourself and others.

What We’re Seeing on Campus

Scammers frequently tailor their tactics to students and university communities, often impersonating trusted organizations or exploiting common life situations - looking for housing, buying tickets, applying for jobs, seeking scholarships, or connecting with others online. Some of the most common scams reported at U-M include:

  • Phishing Scams – Deceptive emails, texts, or messages to steal login credentials or financial information.
  • Job Offer – Scammers pretend to be employers or recruiters to trick individuals into providing money, personal information, or access to their accounts
  • Housing Scams – Rooted in impersonation, in which scammers pretend to be staff with Michigan Housing (or someone working with them) to trick people into paying for a housing contract that doesn’t exist, isn’t available, or is misrepresented.
  • Event Ticket Sales – This is particularly prevalent for high-demand games and concerts, often involving fake or duplicate tickets sold through unofficial websites or social media.
  • Scholarship or Financial Aid Scams – Often, scammers pose as scholarship providers, financial aid organizations, or college representatives to trick students and families into giving money or personal information.
  • Sextortion – A type of fraud in which scammers threaten to share explicit images, videos, or personal information unless the victim pays money or provides additional sensitive material.
  • Government Imposter Scams – Where scammers pretend to be representatives of a government agency or law enforcement organization to trick people into providing money, personal information, or access to accounts

While these schemes vary in approach, they all rely on similar tactics: creating a sense of urgency, exploiting trust, and pressuring victims to act quickly before they have time to think.

Awareness Is Essential To Protecting Yourself

This is not a comprehensive list of every scam that exists; however, these are the common scams currently targeting those in the campus community. To learn more about scams, as well as how to protect yourself, review these University resources for helpful information: the DPSS Online Safety page and the ITS Safe Computing site.

If You Think You’ve Been Scammed

Being scammed can feel overwhelming - but you are not alone, and help is available.

DPSS, available 24/7, strongly encourages anyone who has been targeted or victimized to report it.

Reporting helps protect you, supports any needed follow-up action, and prevents scammers from targeting others.

  • Contact DPSS as soon as possible, even if you’re unsure.
  • Save any messages, emails, screenshots, or transaction information, as these can be important for investigation.
  • If your U-M accounts may be compromised, contact ITS Safe Computing right away.

Your report helps keep the entire U-M community safer.

Additional Campus Resources

Other places where you turn for help in addition to DPSS:

Resources: