Rowan employees lost paychecks to scam; how scammers target you and what to do about it
What does cybercrime look like?
In Glassboro, it appeared as an email warning Rowan University employees — falsely — that a co-worker had mpox.
In Gloucester Township, a different sort of virus infected a senior citizen’s computer — and exposed him to a costly scam.
And in Maple Shade, an indictment alleges, an online romance fraud took millions of dollars from victims described as mostly “vulnerable, older men and women who lived alone."
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“You can’t let your guard down for a minute,” observed Rowan spokesman Joe Cardona.
“You have all these (protective) systems in place, but the crooks are very devious.”
In the recent incident at Rowan, hackers sent 852 emails to staffers one evening, claiming the school had a case of mpox, formerly called monkeypox.
Cybercrime tip: Think twice before clicking on a link in an email
Seven recipients were duped in the two hours before the school identified and removed the fraudulent emails, said Cardona.
The victims clicked a link in the email, then entered their user name and password on a log-in page that looked like a legitimate Rowan site.
They next approved a log-in prompt — and unwittingly allowed hackers to divert their direct-deposit paychecks to accounts controlled by the scammers.
Hacking attempts are common at Rowan, said Cardona, noting the school's 20,000 students and 4,000 employees are an attractive target.
He said hackers sometimes submit public-record requests — under disguised identities — to get the names of students and staffers.
Rowan covered the cost of the stolen paychecks, and is seeking reimbursement from an insurer.
Cybercrime warning: Elderly are frequent target of online scams
The Gloucester Township victim, identified only as an Orchard Avenue resident, was scammed out of about $37,000 in April, police said.
The man received “help” with his computer from someone posing as a security specialist with Microsoft and PNC Bank, and also as an agent for the FBI and the Treasury Department.
The suspect requested payments in cryptocurrency and Walmart gift cards to protect the victim's bank accounts, police said. He also arranged to collect $30,000 in cash over one week.
When the victim realized he’d been duped, he alerted Gloucester Township police — and said he was still in contact with the suspect.
Police, posing as the victim, arranged for the suspect to pick up more cash at the Orchard Avenue home.
They detained a 31-year-old man from Silver Springs, Maryland, who's accused of impersonation, theft and identity theft.
A police account noted hackers often target the elderly — “and once burned, they may be hit up again as easy marks.”
It said information about elder fraud is available at https://www.ic3.gov/Home/EF.
Cybercrime defense tip: Know who you're talking to
The romance fraud allegedly took more than $4.5 million from more than 100 victims between April 2016 and May 2020, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for New Jersey.
Conspirators met victims through dating and social media websites, says an April 6 indictment.
Then, using false identities and communicating by email and phone, they “wooed (victims) with words of love" and eventually asked for money "for fictitious emergency needs," the indictment continues.
In a second scam, the conspirators placed online ads to rent apartments that they did not control, the indictment alleges. Those victims paid application fees and security deposits, then “never heard from them again,” it alleges.
The former Burlington County couple — Martins Inalegwu, 34, now of Philadelphia and Steincy Mathieu, 26, of Brooklyn — are charged with mail fraud, wire fraud, and other offenses.
The charges are only allegations. Inalegwu and Mathieu have not been convicted in the case.
How to protect from cybercriminals
Rowan University suggests precautions to avoid online scams. They include:
"Don’t click on links or open attachments in unsolicited email. Links can download malware onto your computer and/or steal your identity."
"Be cautious even with email that looks familiar; it could be fake," says the school.
Hover over a link before clicking on it. Check the destination of the URL to make sure it comes from a recognized address, and look for obvious spelling or grammatical errors.
Ask yourself if the subject line creates a sense of urgency, if it matches the email's contents, and if you normally receive attachments from this sender.
Don't send money to someone you've never met face-to-face, it adds.
"And really, really don’t do it if they ask you to use wire transfer, a prepaid debit card, or a gift card (those cannot be traced and are as good as cash)."
Jim Walsh is a senior reporter with the Courier-Post, Burlington County Times and The Daily Journal.
This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: Cybercrime targets Rowan University employees with mpox email
