The University Police Department (UPD) is responsible for law enforcement, security, disaster planning and emergency response
at FGCU. We work with the entire university community to provide a safe and secure environment that enables
everyone to achieve their academic goals and enjoy the FGCU experience.
In addition to promoting crime prevention, we ensure safety for both vehicle and pedestrian
traffic and assist in coordinating special events. We provide reliable high-quality
professional service at all times.
UPD is headquartered in the north end of the Campus Support Complex on the southwestern
side of the campus loop, FGCU Boulevard.
FGCU PD has received several reports of students, faculty or staff being victimized
through various internet scams.
Although the original contact can be anything from:
A job offer for a secret buyer
Offer to buy an item you listed on internet
Renting a house or buying a car
The end result is always the same. Once a price is established the victim receives
a check for more than the agreed upon amount. The scammer then requests the victim
to use a money wiring service to wire back the excess funds.
DON’T DO IT.
Approximately 4 days after depositing the check and wiring the excess money back,
your bank will advise you that the check was counterfeit and they deduct the amount
of the check from your account. You are now out any money you wired the scammer. This
also happened recently in the county involving a counterfeit PayPal account.
If you ever receive a check for more than the agreed selling price, you should be
concerned. If the check is from a third party or they are asking you to send the excess
money to a third party, you should be concerned. The Lee County Sheriff’s Department
has a unit that specifically deals with such crimes. If you are a victim of such a
crime, you may contact theSheriff’s Office Fraud Line at 239-258-3292 or contact UPD at 239-590-1900.
The Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) has received reports related to a telephone
scam in which the caller purports to be an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) representative.
Using intimidation tactics, the caller tries to take control of the situation from
the beginning. The caller advises the recipient of the call that the IRS has charges
against them and threatens legal action and arrest. If the recipient questions the
caller in any way, the caller becomes more aggressive.
The caller continues to intimidate by threatening to confiscate the recipient’s property,
freeze bank accounts, and have the recipient arrested and placed in jail. The reported
alleged charges include defrauding the government, money owed for back taxes, law
suits pending against the recipient, and nonpayment of taxes.
The recipients are advised that it will cost thousands of dollars in fees/court costs
to resolve this matter. The caller creates a sense of urgency by saying that being
arrested can be avoided and fees reduced if the recipient purchases moneypak cards
to cover the fees within an hour.
Sometimes the caller provides specific instructions on where to purchase the moneypak
cards and the amount to put on each card. The caller tells the recipient not to tell
anyone about the issue and to remain on the telephone until the moneypak cards are
purchased and the moneypak codes are provided to the caller. The caller states that
if the call is disconnected for any reason, the recipient would be arrested. Some
recipients reported once the caller obtained the moneypak codes, they were advised
that the transaction took too long and additional fees were required.
Call recipients, who are primarily immigrants, reported that the caller spoke with
broken English or stated the caller had an Indian accent.
If you receive a call similar to this follow these tips:
Resist the pressure to act quickly
Report the contact to TIGTA athttp://www.treasury.gov/tigtaby clicking on the red button, “IRS Impersonation Scam Reporting.”
Use caution when asked to use a specific payment method. The IRS would not require
a specific payment method such as a moneypak card or wire transfer
If you feel threatened, contact your local police department
If someone on a campus is a victim of this scam, they should report the information
atwww.IC3.govand include in the title “Alert #I-092514” to reference the PSA below.
