Crime Alert
Job Posting Fraud
February 6, 2013
The University of Rhode Island Police Department is sending out this notice as a warning of fraudulent job postings targeting students. The URI Police have taken a complaint from a victim of one of these fraudulent job postings. In this particular instance, the job being solicited was an accounts payable position. The applicant responds by email and is sent a check to deposit in their personal account. The amount of the check is more than what was originally agreed upon for starting the job and the applicant is then requested to wire money back to an overseas account. The original check turns out to be fraudulent and the applicant has been defrauded of the money that was wired overseas.
Recommendation: Never wire money overseas in response to a "check" that you have received in response to a job application.
If you have any information regarding this particular scam, please contact Investigator Thomas Kent at 874-5580.
Please report any crime on the campus to the University of Rhode Island Police Department at 874-2121. Anonymous complaints can be made through our TIPS line at 874-TIPS (874-8477).
Many of these scams originate from overseas. The URI Police do not have the resources to pursue these overseas scammers, but a complaint should be filed through the Internet Crimes Complaint Center at http://www.ic3.gov/complaint/default.aspx.
Email Scam Alert
November 5, 2012
Many URI faculty and students may have received or heard of someone who has received an email from "American Project Management" regarding a Masters Certification Program which is supposed to be held at Harvard University from November 27-30, 2012.
This solicitation is another in a long list of scams being perpetrated by unknown persons utilizing the name of American Project Management. They have advertised this seminar at the Providence Campus this past August as well as a downtown Providence hotel as a location for the conference. A number of people paid for and responded to that hotel and the Providence Campus only to find that it was a fictitious program. Lieutenant Michael Chalek and Investigator Thomas Kent followed up and found that other universities were also listed as "hosts" for these fictitious seminars. A high ranking university official from another institution actually registered for the bogus class, which shows how convincing this scam can be.
The solicitation may look legitimate but it is not. Please do not contact this company or provide any personal information to them. If you have gotten an email from American Project Management just delete it. If you did respond, please contact Lieutenant Michael Chalek at 401-277-5452 or Investigator Thomas Kent at 401-874-5580.
Email Scam Alert
October 10, 2012
The University of Rhode Island Police Department is sending out this notice as a warning of a possible internet fraud targeting URI students. The URI Police have learned that two students have received emails from a person claiming to be Mr. Marcin Loo. This email is soliciting college females for a babysitting job. At this point we feel that this is not a legitimate e-mail for employment and is similar to emails that were sent to another university.
The URI Police Department is investigating these complaints to determine if a crime has been committed.
The emails in question read as follows:
“Hello, from the Resources Team of the Independent Colleges and Universities Association (ICUA) of which your institution is a member, we are pleased to inform you that the family of one Mr Marcin Loo (a Chinese expatriate working with Shell Petroleum) is coming down to your university location for a few weeks of supervisory works. They are in urgent need of a College/University female helper/nanny who would babysit their 2-year old little daughter by name Pebble. They are offering a weekly pay of $500 with working days being Mondays-Fridays 6PM-9PM, weekends excluded.”
Our advice is DO NOT ANSWER THIS EMAIL. It is very possible that this email is being used to perpetrate financial fraud. The University of Rhode Island is not affiliated with ICUA or a Mr. Marcin Loo.
In all cases of unsolicited emails, it is best to:
- Do not reply to unsolicited emails.
- NEVER wire money or provide personal information or financial data to anyone over the phone or through email.
- NEVER agree to meet anyone from an unsolicited e-mail, phone call or other social media.
If you have any information regarding this particular email scam, please contact Investigator Thomas Kent at 874-5580.
Many of these scams originate from overseas. The URI Police do not have the resources to pursue these overseas scammers, but a complaint should be filed through the Internet Crimes Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov/complaint/default/aspx.
Please report any crime on campus to the University of Rhode Island Police Department at 874-2121. Anonymous complaints can be made through our TIPS line at 874-TIPS (874-8477).
Community Safety Update
December 21, 2010
The University of Rhode Island Campus Police Department and Division of Student Affairs are providing
this Community Safety Alert Notice in compliance with the provisions of the federal Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act of 1998.At approximately 6:20 p.m. on Tuesday, December 21, the URI Campus Police
and South Kingstown Police responded to a 911 call of a report of an armed robbery in the area
between Fraternity Circle and Baird Hill Roads on the Kingston Campus. As reported to the police,thevictim was walking alone when he was approached and robbed by two individuals wearing hooded sweatshirts. The victim has indicated that one of the two perpetrators displayed a handgun at the time of the robbery. The suspects are described as:Suspect #1 - African American male approximately 6'2" tallwith
a thin build and a white hooded sweatshirt.Suspect #2 - African American male approximately 5'8"tall with a thin build and a dark hooded sweatshirt. Both suspects fled on foot from the scene toward Baird Hill Road after the robbery occurred. No injuries were reported.
Anyone with information pertaining to this investigation is asked to contact the URI Police at 874-2121.
Anonymous calls can be made to 874-TIPS (874-8477).
Members of our campus community are reminded of the following important
personal safety measures:
. Report any suspicious individuals or behaviors witnessed in campus buildings
and residences to the URI Campus Police
. If you are walking on campus after dark, do so with friends or seeka ride from the Campus Police
. Lock and secure your room, apartment, house, or office door(s) every time you leave even if forjust a few minutes
. Never prop open exterior doors to your residence and, if you notice propped
doors, take action to re-secure those doors; don't let strangers into your residence
Important URI campus resources pertaining to personal safety include:
. URI Campus Police--874-2121
. Office of Student Life--874-2101
. Department of Housing and Residential Life-contact in-hall staff directly
. URI Violence Prevention & Advocacy Services-874-9131.
Community Safety Update
October 26, 2010
Robbery "victim" at URI arrested for filing false report
The URI Campus Police and Division of Student Affairs want to update the University community on the status of the report filed on October 21, 2010 about an armed robbery that allegedly occurred in a campus residence hall. That report has been determined to be a hoax.
During their investigation of this recently reported armed robbery, URI Police Lt. Richard Moniz and Patrolman Thomas Kent re-interviewed the alleged victim and became suspicious of the truthfulness of his statements. Upon further questioning, the student admitted to making up the robbery story and that it never happened.
Andrew Karp, 19, of 155 Weetamoe Drive, Warwick, R.I., was charged with a misdemeanor, filing a false police report, and was arrested. He was processed and released with a summons to appear in Fourth District Court.
The URI Campus Police and Division of Student Affairs regret any unnecessary concern caused by this false report. As we remain committed to reporting campus crimes to our community, we remind students to practice personal safety activities such as locking residence hall rooms or off-campus rental properties at all times and refraining from walking alone in the late night/early morning hours. Students needing transport to campus locations can contact Safe Ride at 874-SAFE.
Community Safety Notice
October 22, 2010
Police alert students, community to report of robbery in campus residence hall
The URI Campus Police Department and the Division of Student Affairs are alerting students, faculty and staff to a report of an armed robbery Thursday, Oct. 21 in a campus residence hall.
URI police responded to a residence hall at 8:30 p.m. to meet with a male student, who told them he was alone in his room when the door opened and two male subjects walked in and shut the door. He told police each male took out a knife and told the victim to empty his pockets. The suspects then took money from his wallet and left the room. URI Police canvassed the area and notified local police departments, but no suspects have been identified. The victim was not injured.
The suspects are described as follows: Suspect one - Black male, early 20s, 5 feet, 8 inches, medium/heavy build with a chin strap beard, wearing a blue hooded sweatshirt. Suspect two - Hispanic male, early 20s, 5 feet, 6 inches, average build, wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the URI Police at 874-2121. Anonymous calls can be made to 874-TIPS (874-8477).
URI Police remind campus community members that while there have been several incidents in the last two weeks in which URI students have been victims, including those in Narragansett and South Kingstown, the Kingston Campus and surrounding communities are generally safe. Crime statistics provided to the federal government by Campus Police show that police have investigated seven robberies on the Kingston Campus during the past five years.
Campus Police and Student Affairs remind students to lock their residential hall rooms or off-campus rental properties at all times. Students should not prop open entrances to residence halls. They should also refrain from walking alone in the late night/early morning hours. Students needing transport to campus locations can contact Safe Ride at 874-SAFE.
Community Safety Notice
October 20, 2010
Police alert students, community to incidents in Narragansett & South Kingstown, near campus
The URI Campus Police Department and the Division of Student Affairs are alerting students, faculty and staff to recent incidents in Narragansett and South Kingstown near campus. Please read the following notices and contact the related police departments with any information. Community members are reminded to refrain from walking alone in the late night/early morning hours. Students needing transport to campus locations can contact Safe Ride at 874-SAFE.
Narragansett Alert
The Narragansett Police are investigating two separate incidents that involve males in their twenties being targeted for armed robberies in the Eastward Look neighborhood. The Police Department encourages URI students to use caution when walking the streets of these neighborhoods during late hours, and for off campus residents of Narragansett to be aware of who they are allowing into their residences. All students living off campus are reminded to keep their residences locked and secured during evening hours and while away at classes and other events. All students are encouraged to take extra care with their personal safety and if it is necessary to walk at night, to do so in the company of friends.
If you have any information pertaining to these incidents, immediately report any such information to the Narragansett Police Department at 789-1091.
South Kingstown alert
The South Kingstown Police are investigating two assaults that took place just off campus early Saturday morning, October 16th. The first assault took place on Fortin Road and was apparently an unprovoked assault on an 18-year-old male. The victim in this case did not want to pursue the matter.
At approximately 1:30 am on October 16th, a 20-year-old female student was assaulted in the church parking lot across Rt.138 from Upper College Road. Her attacker is described as a white male under six-feet tall with brown hair wearing blue jeans, a dark colored sweatshirt and white sneakers. This was also apparently an unproved physical assault where the victim was punched and then kicked in the face.
Anyone with information in either incident should contact Detective Ray Lamont of the South Kingstown Police at 783-3166 x315.
