Welcome

Good afternoon,

We have been alerted that there is a nationwide scam targeting students via their school email. 

The scam originated from a spoofed school email and was sent to other district email addresses. The scam begins with fake job posting emails containing Google Form links. After a victim completes these forms, the victim is contacted by email account Jaredharvey001@gmail.com. This initial email exchange quickly escalates to violent threats for money coming from random phone numbers. The scammer deposits fraudulent funds or sends checks for the victim to deposit into the victim’s account. These transactions appear legitimate but are later reversed after the victim sends real money. The fraudster uses intimidation tactics including death threats and claims of law enforcement connections to create panic and force quick payments. A review of social media posts confirms this is a common scam where the pending deposits eventually disappear, leaving victims with financial losses.

The original email comes with an "APPLY NOW" google form link. 

I would encourage you to talk with your teenage children to alert them to this scam and others like it. Reinforce that they should be wary of unsolicited emails and that they should not share personal information in response to emails like this.

This appears to be an advanced financial scam, specifically targeted at students and young adults who are actively seeking employment. The targeting of students can be strategic - they often have limited financial experience, urgent need for income, and may be reluctant to seek help due to embarrassment or potential judgement. This scam combines elements of employment/financial fraud and intimidation tactics that could dangerously impact educational environments. The violent nature of the threats also presents a genuine safety concern that elevates this beyond typical financial fraud into a potential school security issue.

If students have encountered or fallen for this scam, here are some things they should be told:

• You're not alone - these scammers target thousands of people with sophisticated tactics designed to manipulate them.
• Report it immediately - talk to your SRO, school security, or a trusted adult without delay. The faster you report it, the better chance of minimizing damage.
• Do not send any money or gift cards, regardless of the threats. These are empty intimidation tactics.
• Save all communications as evidence - screenshots, emails, texts, and call logs.
• Contact your bank immediately if you've shared financial information or notice suspicious transactions.
• Block the sender on all platforms, but don't delete the evidence.
  
  

We wanted to alert you so that you can talk with your children to be aware of and alert to scams such as this that can lead to negative outcomes.

We have made our administrators and staff aware of this as well. If your child is targeted, please feel free to reach out to let us know. We want to make sure that we protect our students.

Steve

Dr. Steve Matthews
Superintendent
Rockford Public Schools