The Student News Site of Appalachian State University

The Appalachian

The Student News Site of Appalachian State University

The Appalachian

The Student News Site of Appalachian State University

The Appalachian

Newsletter Signup

Get our news delivered straight to your inbox every week.

* indicates required

FBI warns of college phone scam

The+Appalachian+Online
The Appalachian Online

The Better Business Bureau of northwest North Carolina recently reached out to The Appalachian about an FBI warning issued on Sept. 28 with regards to a phone scam targeting college students.

According to the warning, the scam involves someone posing as a government official or FBI agent claiming that the students have outstanding loans or dues, taxes or parking tickets, and the callers have been reported to sometimes resort to threatening arrest or withholding graduation if the amount requested is not paid over MoneyGram.

The callers may also claim to have student information.

The caller numbers are displayed as phone numbers from an FBI field office.

The warning also reminds the public that the FBI does not call requesting private funds or requesting unsolicited personal information.

The northwestern North Carolina BBB offers help with handling phone scams and can be contacted at: (336) 725-8348.

Staff Reports

Donate to The Appalachian
$1371
$5000
Contributed
Our Goal

We hope you appreciate this article! Before you move on, our student staff wanted to ask if you would consider supporting The Appalachian's award-winning journalism. We are celebrating our 90th anniversary of The Appalachian in 2024!

We receive funding from the university, which helps us to compensate our students for the work they do for The Appalachian. However, the bulk of our operational expenses — from printing and website hosting to training and entering our work into competitions — is dependent upon advertising revenue and donations. We cannot exist without the financial and educational support of our fellow departments on campus, our local and regional businesses, and donations of money and time from alumni, parents, subscribers and friends.

Our journalism is produced to serve the public interest, both on campus and within the community. From anywhere in the world, readers can access our paywall-free journalism, through our website, through our email newsletter, and through our social media channels. Our supporters help to keep us editorially independent, user-friendly, and accessible to everyone.

If you can, please consider supporting us with a financial gift from $10. We appreciate your consideration and support of student journalism at Appalachian State University. If you prefer to make a tax-deductible donation, or if you would prefer to make a recurring monthly gift, please give to The Appalachian Student News Fund through the university here: https://securelb.imodules.com/s/1727/cg20/form.aspx?sid=1727&gid=2&pgid=392&cid=1011&dids=418.15&bledit=1&sort=1.

Donate to The Appalachian
$1371
$5000
Contributed
Our Goal