Scam Prevention and Fraud Detection

Common Trends and Top Tips

Scams target everyone, and some can be difficult to recognize. On this site you will find the scams categories of traveling, phishing, job, immigration, and housing. While there are numerous types of scams, these are the most common scam-types you will encounter as a student or traveler. Each scam category is further broken down into subcategories with common examples and tips on how to avoid that type of scam.

If you suspect you have gotten scammed, please contact: Your local police department and notify NUPD.

Trends

The top fraud and scam subcategories that have targeted college-aged individuals in 2024 are:

  • Business imposters (Job scam)
  • Online shopping (Other scam)
  • Government imposters (Immigration scam)
  • Job scams & employment agencies (Job scam)
  • Investments & investment advice (Phishing scam)
  • Romance scams (Traveling scam)

To review fraud report trends over time, please click here. You can filter by timeframe, as well as category and subcategory.

To view fraud and ID theft map by state, please click here.

If You Think You Are on the Phone with a Potential Scammer

Regardless of the subject matter, phone scams will typically feature the same red flags. Upon sensing a phone scam, the most important thing to do is hang up. No government agency or police department will ever solicit money on the phone. Some warning signs that your phone call might be a scam include:

Authority

  • Online scammers often claim to be contacting you on behalf of business, brands, or organizations you know and trust. Be especially wary of those who claim to be a part of the US Immigration, Social Security Administration, or the Internal Revenue Service. Immigration, government, and police will never ask you for personal information over phone and will never ask you for money to be sent on a phone call. If the person does this, it is likely a scam.
  • If you are asked for personal or financial information:
    • Hang up and call NUPD or call a trusted number to verify the request
    • To find a trusted number: use a contact number you already trust, or search the agency or business online.
    • Callers can sometimes spoof numbers (make it look like a different number is calling). To avoid this, manually enter the phone number you find online to call them back

Unexpected calls

  • If a company or government agency unexpectedly calls you on the phone, it may be a scammer on the other end of the line.
  • Hang up and contact the business or agency directly to find out if the call was legitimate. Use a trusted contact number to call the company or agency (a phone number you have already used or find the phone number on an official website for the company/agency).

A sense of urgency or threats

  • Fraudsters and imposters will often try to rush or push you into deciding without giving you time to verify and thoughtfully consider their requests.
  • No legitimate business or government agency will threaten you, your friends, or your family.
  • If you are threatened, hang up and report it to NUPD.

Finances

  • A fraudster will often try to request money or a wire transfer or a gift card over the phone for various reasons (tax payment, paying bail, avoid deportation, ransom payments, etc.).
  • Never trust any organization who requires you to give your financial information over the phone.
  • The US government and NUPD will never request money from you over the phone.
  • If someone calls you demanding money, hang up.

If you think you are being scammed, you probably are. If you think you are being scammed over the phone hang up. You can call the official number of the company of agency and ask if the previous caller was legitimate. If that company or agency didn’t contact you, you now know it was a scam and you can report it. If that company or agency was trying to contact you and it was not a scam, you can then call back and proceed.

Common Scam Types to be Aware of, and Examples:

Below are some of the more common scam categories that have targeted or impacted Northeastern students, including Traveling scams, Phishing scams, Job scams, Housing scams, and Immigration scams, and Housing scams. Each of these categories has an overview of the scam type, and additional subcategories or examples of those scams. Each includes how the scam works and specific scam prevention information and tips to avoid being scammed.

Traveling Scams and Prevention

Phishing Scams and Prevention

Job Scams and Prevention

Immigration Scams and Prevention

Housing Scams and Prevention