Local scams target student’s personal information

Kristin Morgan STO02013@BYUI.EDU Scroll Staff

The phone rang twice in Nauvoo apartment 107 before Ajri McArthur, a freshman from Laie, Hawaii, grabbed the receiver. The man on the other end asked for Megan, a girl who no longer lived in the apartment. McArthur explained Megan had moved.

The man began interrogating McArthur, asking her if she ever filed for bankruptcy, and if she had paid all her taxes. Again, McArthur clarified she was not the girl he was looking for. The man told her anyone in apartment 107 was qualified to receive the government grant he was offering.

He asked McArthur for her bank account number so he could transfer the funds through. This all sounded suspicious to McArthur, who had taken a government class and learned about grants, so she put her hand over the receiver and whispered to her roommates that he wanted her bank information.

The roommates began yelling not to do it, and to hang up on the man. When McArthur put her ear back to the telephone, she realized the man could hear her roommates and was shouting swear words at her. She quickly disconnected the call.

Scams happen to BYU-Idaho students almost weekly, according to Captain Gunderson of the BYU-Idaho campus police. Rarely do they occur as McArthur’s case; instead it is often a scam involving the bulletin board and some citizens from Nigeria.

requently, when an expensive item is placed on the campus’ online bulletin board, a person with limited English will call or e-mail offering a higher price for the item.

They will ask the student to send them some of the money, usually around $1,000, for their agent to to cover pick and delivery of the item.

After the money is sent to Nigeria, it is discovered the original check was a fraud and the student has lost the money they sent. Gunderson believes these scammers target BYU-I because “we’re very trusting as an LDS community.”

Gunderson gives several ways to avoid being scammed. The best way is to “take some time. Tell the person you will call them back later. If it’s a good deal this week, it will be a good deal next week.” Also, make sure a check has cleared before spending any of that money.

Gunderson and the rest of campus police are working hard to educate students on the possibilities of scams coming to the Rexburg area.

Recently an e-mail was sent out to warn students of a “jury-duty scam.” This is occurring in the California area, and Gunderson says they usually start down there and trickle up here.

They have also warned students about the bulletin board scams and have since seen a decrease in the number of reports.

These precautions are taken so students are well informed, and in case the scam that happened to McArthur happens to another student, they will know how to act.