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Gift Card Scams Are Targeting UMBC Staff

If it seems weird, it is. Don't do it.

For several years, UMBC's Division of Information Technology has received reports of gift card scams. Recently, some of these scams have been sent as text messages to personal phones, falsely representing themselves as directions from senior administration officials. Regardless of how the message is sent or received, who appears to be sending it, or what personal information it may contain, it's a scam. Nobody is going to ask you to buy several hundred dollars' worth of gift cards and send the PINs.

The scam is simple, and while details may vary, the basic outline remains the same.

Short version:
Someone tells you to buy one or more gift cards and then to send them the numbers off the back.

Detailed version:
The victim receives a message, possibly through email, SMS text message, or even a phone call, telling them that someone in authority (a supervisor, the Internal Revenue Service, etc.) needs them to purchase some quantity of gift cards. The message will specify a type of gift card, such as Google Play or iTunes, but it could be any card that can be used like money. The message will often be worded to make the immediate purchase seem urgent and may state that the person needing the card cannot be reached directly (e.g., "in a meeting" or "out of the country").

The victim is instructed to get the PIN off the back of the card and send it or a picture of it via phone, email, or some other method of electronic communication.

Once this is done, the scam is over. The scammer can sell the PIN numbers at a discount. Since the scammer has spent nothing, everything is pure profit.

If you receive a scam message involving UMBC phone numbers, UMBC-owned phones, or mentioning members of the UMBC community, please notify DoIT through email at security@umbc.edu.

You can find more information about these scams at:


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Posted: July 31, 2024, 9:02 PM

Read Original Post in myUMBC