USC police warn students, community about reports of scams seeking thousands

The University of South Carolina Police Department is warning students and other members of the USC community that they are being targeted in an email scam.

On Thursday, the USC police said it received several reports of check scams, with the most common version of the scam involving a man who obtains a random student email from the directory and then contacts the person via email with an unbelievable job offer.

The man, who says he’s named Gary Rivera, offers to pay the email recipient a sum of money up front and then sends the student a check for more than the amount agreed upon, according to USC police. Rivera then asks the recipient to deposit the check into his/her bank account and instructs them to send the extra money back to him.

After doing so, the original check is returned by the bank for insufficient funds and the student is now out his or her money, the USC police warned, adding that the checks have ranged from $500 to $7,900.

But this isn’t the only scam that USC police are alerting people about. Another common scam involves an individual portraying himself as Dr. Christopher C. Babbitt, who claims he is with USC.

USC police say these scams, and others like them, have been happening all over the country, and some scammers go as far as threatening or pressuring the target.

• The USC Police Department reminds:
• Always ask questions about why someone is giving you money or why you are sending them money.
• NEVER provide your personal information to someone that you do not know.
• If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

The USC police encourage anybody with questions or concerns to contact them at 803-777-4215.