A financial aid scam continues to target UA students in which an unknown caller informs the student they have qualified for a grant, but first must release their personal information in order to receive it.
Sgt. Eugene Mejia, University of Arizona Police Department spokesman, said at least 12 individuals have reported similar calls over the past six months. He sent out a campus alert in September but said the problem continues and students are no longer the only ones being targeted.
"It seems to keep resurfacing," he said.
One week ago, Mejia said, a person from New Jersey and another from New Mexico called the station, both claiming they received a suspicious call that said they qualified for a grant from the UA. Both callers said they had applied for a grant and said the man asked for their banking information, Mejia said.
Four Tucson students contacted police in September and reported similar calls and police have received other complaints since then.
The most recent report of the scam came from a UA student who contacted police after she received two suspicious calls from the same man.
Lauren Herman, a pre-architecture freshman, said she received the first call on the afternoon of Jan. 22 on her cell phone. The man identified himself as Mark Wilson from Choice Grant Information Center, reports stated.
The man told Herman she qualified for a college grant, but in order to receive it, she would have to give her bank account number, Herman said.
Herman said he told her he would issue her the grant after she paid a $250 fee, which he would remove directly from her checking account.
"He said he needed to remove funds to take in fund," she said. "He called it a one-time fee."
Herman said she gave the man the last five digits of her bank account number. The man already had other information, including her parent's names, home address, major and academic year, she said.
Herman said after speaking with the first man, she was transferred to other men who directed her to a recorded message. The phone line disconnected right before she was supposed to be given a verification number, she said.
Herman said she called the customer service number the man gave her earlier in the conversation, and it connected her to a computer repair company's recording.
Herman received the second call Saturday and suspected it was a scam because the man originally told her the office was only open Monday through Friday.
When she searched for the company online, she found no company called Choice Grant Information Center existed, Herman said.
Herman said the man called her cell phone both times, which was odd because she is always careful about releasing personal information.
Brent Sherman, an undeclared freshman, said someone charged $60 on his debit card after his wallet was stolen. Since then, he said he has been extra cautious about releasing personal information, even if it is just his cell phone number.
Howie Hendler, an undeclared freshman, said he posts his personal information on thefacebook.com, a popular student profile Web site.
Hendler said if anyone suspicious contacted him on his cell phone, he would hang up immediately.
Mejia said although individuals nationwide seem to be receiving calls regarding a UA grant, students are targeted more often than not.
"Students are more anxious to believe that the information is legitimate," he said.
Mejia said individuals behind the scam are using some type of system to disguise their tracking information, which makes catching them extremely difficult.
Although at least 12 reports about similar calls have been reported in the past six months, Mejia said some do not report it to police because of embarrassment.
"No matter how they feel, the more information we have, the better chance we have of solving the crime," Mejia said. "Every person is a piece of the puzzle."