The University of Rhode Island community has been targeted by scam calls called “open container violation extortion calls.”
These calls, primarily sent to the family and friends of URI athletes, state that their loved one has been arrested on “open container charges” and encourage the family member to wire money via Venmo or Chime. As these calls continue, many student-athletes are wondering what can be done to stop this issue.
While none of the targets have met the scammer’s request and sent money, the risk of receiving one of these phone calls is still possible and URI families should be informed about this situation as this is not just an issue in the URI community, but rather an issue all over the country.
When making these calls, these scammers “find an ‘angle,’ such as an athlete on a college website, or someone looking to rent housing, and then use the information they have to try to fraudulently obtain funds from the victim,” said URI’s Police Department’s Deputy Chief Paul Ricci.
How do students know if they are being scammed or if the call is legitimate? The first rule of thumb in protecting yourself from scammers is to never send money to an individual’s Venmo or Chime account, always send it to a reputable institution, according to Ricci.
While it is difficult to stop these calls from coming, there are ways to identify them and report them should you receive one. First and foremost, Ricci advises that students and their families should not answer calls from numbers they do not recognize or from numbers that are blocked. He also says that even if a number looks like it could be coming from a nearby area, do not assume that it is and will be someone you know. Some additional tips the URI police department provided include:
- Do not respond to any questions that can be answered with a “Yes.”
- If someone calls you and claims to be with XYZ company or the URI Police, hang up and call the company or URIPD yourself. To call the URI Police on their routine line, dial 401-874-4910 and let them know that you believe you received a scam call. If it is a company, use the company’s website to find an official number.
- If you do answer a call and hear a recording such as, “Hello, can you hear me?” just hang up. The same goes for a call where you’re asked to press a number before being connected to a representative.
The easiest way to prevent scams is to not answer or interact with the caller, according to Ricci. There is a possibility that contact information will be sold to other scam call companies, leading to more calls.
If students do receive one of these calls, there are steps they can take to stop more calls from occurring and report the call they did receive. When a scam call is received, do not interact with the caller and hang up immediately. Students can register their number with the National Do Not Call Registry, and unwanted calls can be reported. For more information regarding how to identify and report scam calls, visiting the Federal Trade Commission website or URI’s Department of Public Safety website for information and updates that specifically regard the URI community. URI dispatch is also available at 401-874-4910.