02/02/2024
Xavier University Police Department (XUPD) has received a report of an individual impersonating a Xavier University police officer in an attempt to defraud parents of a student over the phone. Overnight XUPD received a telephone call from a parent of a Xavier University Student reporting they had been contacted from a phone number displaying Cincinnati’s 513 area code and alleging their student was being detained by XUPD for having committed a criminal offense. The caller advised charges against the student would be reduced if immediate financial restitution could be made on the part of the parent. Fortunately, the parents were able to contact their student by phone while still on the call and debunk the caller’s claims. The caller then disconnected the telephone call.
Xavier University Police WILL NOT contact parents directly and ask for payment or credit card numbers in any circumstance. Always confirm any communication allegedly coming from XUPD by calling XUPD direct at (513) 745-1000. This number is answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
From the Federal Bureau of Investigation webpage: “Spoofing is when someone disguises an email address, sender name, phone number, or website URL—often just by changing one letter, symbol, or number—to convince you that you are interacting with a trusted source.
Criminals count on being able to manipulate you into believing that these spoofed communications are real, which can lead you to download malicious software, send money, or disclose personal, financial, or other sensitive information.”
Please utilize the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) to report spoofing or phishing attempts – particularly if you have been a victim. The link for the IC3 immediately follows:
Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3).