EAST LANSING, Mich. — The Michigan State University Police Department warns of an email scam targeted at people who have addresses that end in msu.edu.
On its Facebook page, MSU police warn people to steer clear of people offering jobs via email for small tasks and payment by check, direct deposit to a bank account or credit through a money exchange app.
Police said people who agree to take a job from scammers – some who appear to have valid msu.edu addresses – are asked to purchase gift cards and text or email the card numbers to people who “hired.”
“Only afterward does the victim find out the checks or funds were fraudulent, and they are held responsible by their bank for money they spent on gift cards,” MSU PD’s Facebook post said. “Previous investigations have shown the emails and phone numbers used are untraceable or are from overseas, and the funds cannot be recovered or a suspect is identified.”
Police offer these tips to people so they can protect themselves from email scams:
· Never accept a job offer from anyone online, particularly if you did not apply for one.
· Be aware that nobody at MSU does business or hires an employee over email.
· Keep any eye out for fake emails and web pages that may look like legitimate MSU emails and websites.
· Never promote personal information over the internet or phone, especially bank information or social security numbers.
· Never send or wire money to anyone you don’t know.
· Contact police if you are in doubt of an email or phone call you receive.
· Contact police if you are in doubt of an email or phone call you receive.
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