Scam targeting Utah Valley University students shows anyone can be a victim

OREM, Utah (KUTV) — A scam targeting local college students shows that anyone can be a victim.

A Utah Valley University student is out nearly $3,000 after a scammer pretended to be her professor.

Some might be surprised that young adults who grew up with technology could fall for scams, but experts claim it happens more than one might think.

MORE | UVU professor warns students of email phishing scam that cost student nearly $3k

A message from a trusted source can lower anyone's guard. Especially one that looks as legitimate as students of UVU Professor Dustin Harding.

“It seemed like something potentially I could write,” Harding said. “And so, I think that along with my picture and name, going with it was very believable.”

The email offered an opportunity to be a part of a paid professor-led project. However, to get in on it, they needed to set up an account and send money.

Turns out it was a scam, and one student fell for it.

"They know the younger generation is going to be looking for opportunities for employment,” said Timothy Johnston with the Better Business Bureau.

Johnston said employment scams are the riskiest types of scams for young adults.

"It's not uncommon for us to see this kind of scam happen on a college campus where the student gets some type of odd ask by somebody in authority,” he said.

“This targeted kind of attack, which is often called 'spear phishing,' is very compelling because, ‘Hey, this is coming from somebody I work with. This is coming from somebody that I know in my community,’” said cybersecurity expert Brandon Amacher.

Amacher also teaches at UVU and said that Utah is close to the top of affinity-based scamming, which is scams based on wanting to help people in their community or relationships.

Both Johnston and Amacher said it's important to remember that anyone can fall for a scam.

"If you think you're too smart to be deceived by a scam or be socially engineered, that actually makes you the perfect mark for this type of thing,” Amacher said.

Both experts emphasize validating things before doing anything, which means calling whoever is reaching out to make sure it's actually them.

Many Utah universities offer training for students to identify scams:

BYU:

USU:

UofU:

Here are some resources from the BBB to identify scams:

BBB Scam Tracker is a free tool anyone can use to report suspected scams. Your reports warn others so they can avoid similar cons.

BBB Tip: How to recognize a phony email

2024 BBB Scam Tracker Risk Report

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