Hillsdale College is not looking to offer people lower interest rates on their credit cards.
Phishing scams, which seek to obtain people’s personal identification information, beginning last week have used the college’s phone numbers as call-back numbers in the surrounding community. It’s the first time in years the college’s numbers have been used, Chief Administrative Officer Rich Péwé said, but local police said there is an increasing number of scams and identity thefts in recent years.
“It’s the amount of fraud and the attempts that are very high,” Detective Brad Martin said. “It occupies a lot of our time in law enforcement.”
Following reports about scams like this, Péwé said the college contacts local police. Kendall Contact Center employees were also made aware of the scams, said John Papciak, the contact center’s director.
“We don’t want people thinking the college is putting out these messages,” Péwé said, adding that the phone messages did not mention the college.
Péwé said most of the numbers the scammers are using are not active, though a house director did receive a phone call from a local resident, who used the call-back number from a scam about lowering credit card rates.
Martin said people should hang up when they receive a phishing phone call. Scammers who are successful in obtaining personal identification information can find more through other means. They often sell that information on the dark web or use it to take out loans, open credit card accounts, or file tax returns, Martin said.
“Then it’s never ending,” he said.
Martin said these cases are challenging because the scams are hard to track. They often leave fake or incorrect phone numbers. Many scammers use Google Voice, which makes telephone calls over the Internet. While it often provides a location in the United States as the source of calls, they can come from anywhere in the world, Martin said.
He said he encourages those who receive a phishing phone call to contact police, especially if they gave out private identification information. It is also a good idea to regularly check bank and credit card accounts.
Péwé said he received a similar message on his cell phone and warned not to provide any personal identification information over an unsolicited phone call.
“As college students, you need credit to get it, and the last thing you need is for people to mess it up before you get started,” he said.
