The UCF Police Department reaches out to make you aware of a variety of scams and frauds impacting people around the country, including members of the UCF community.

Law enforcement are seeing an uptick in get-rich-quick schemes; phone and email scams that demand money in exchange for a loved one's safety; the theft of credit card numbers; and other similar fraudulent activity.

UCFPD asks you to take the following steps to protect yourself:

-Use smart judgement. If something sounds too good or too ridiculous to be true, it probably is.

-Remember that legitimate job offers, housing arrangements, scholarships, etc. do not typically require you to wire money in advance.

-Protect your credit and debit cards and banking information. Immediately cancel any card that goes missing and regularly monitor your accounts.

Most importantly, if you believe you've been a victim of any of these types of crimes, contact the law enforcement agency with jurisdiction where you live.

For questions about these types of scams and activities, call UCFPD at 407-823-3224.