Pitt, FBI warn students of phone scam

Pitt warned students last week of a phone scam that targets college students.

The University released a warning on Friday on the My Pitt home page and through Campus Connect about a phone scam where a caller, claiming to represent the U.S. government, with a forged phone number tells the student that he or she owes delinquent student loans, dues or parking tickets. The caller, using a “spoofed” phone number that appears to be official, has threatened students with arrest and delayed graduation if the student does not immediately pay the fees via MoneyGram, according to an FBI Atlanta Division release from Sept. 28.

The warning originated in Atlanta, where multiple students from universities in states including Georgia and Wisconsin called the FBI Atlanta Division to report the fake callers.

According to the FBI release, the caller ID shows up as a number from the Atlanta FBI field office, but the FBI does not call individuals requesting money.

Individuals who receive a suspicious phone call they think might be a scam should report the call to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.IC3.gov.