{
  "id": "2023-03-16-florida-international-university-phone-borrow-venmo-scam",
  "slug": "florida-international-university-phone-borrow-venmo-scam-2023-03-16",
  "institution": {
    "name": "Florida International University",
    "shortName": "FIU",
    "state": "FL",
    "type": "public-r1",
    "alertSystemName": "FIU Alert",
    "enrollment": 56000
  },
  "incident": {
    "date": "2023-03-16",
    "type": "scam",
    "cleryCategory": "timely-warning",
    "resolution": "unknown",
    "headline": "Phone-borrow Venmo and Cash App transfer scam",
    "headlinePublic": "Phone-borrow Venmo and Cash App transfer scam",
    "summary": "FIU Police [issued a timely warning after a male borrowed phones and transferred Venmo or Cash App funds](https://police.fiu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/TIMELY-WARNING-March-16-23.pdf) from unsuspecting people who agreed to let him place a call.",
    "outcome": "Warning tells the community not to hand a phone to a stranger and to lock money-transfer apps. Distinct from later FIUPD job-scam timely warnings."
  },
  "alerts": [
    {
      "sequence": 1,
      "type": "initial",
      "timestampApprox": "Timely Warning dated March 16, 2023",
      "channel": "email",
      "verbatimText": "TIMELY WARNING - March 16, 2023\n\nThe Florida International University Police Department has received several reports of a male\napproaching random individuals asking to utilize their cellular telephone to call someone. When\nthe unsuspecting person agrees, the subject accesses the person’s Venmo or Cash App and\ntransfers funds into the subject’s account.\n\nPlease do not fall for this scam. The fraudsters will ask to use your phone and will then tell you\nthat the person is not picking up. The fraudster will ask to send a text from your phone. Instead\nof sending a text they access your Venmo or other money transfer application.\n\nIn order to protect yourself from being victimized by this scam, do not let anyone you do not\nknow personally use your cellular telephone. Instead, offer to contact someone for them. You\nshould also set your security settings on your money transfer applications to the highest levels\nutilizing features such as dual authentication, PINs, and biometric recognition.\n\nIf you or anyone you know have been a victim of this scam or have any information as to the\nidentity of the subject(s), please contact the Florida International University Police Department\n(FIUPD) at 305-348-2626 or in case of an emergency 305 348-5911.\n\n\nIn compliance with federal Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and\nCampus Crime Statistics Act of 1998, we are issuing this “Timely Warning Notice” to\nreport an incident that may pose a serious or continuing threat to the campus\ncommunity.",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "confidence": "high",
      "sourceUrl": "https://police.fiu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/TIMELY-WARNING-March-16-23.pdf",
      "sourceDescription": "FIUPD Timely Warning PDF March 16, 2023",
      "annotations": [
        "Dual pdftotext-layout + independent second-blind EQUAL sha256 d48fc639fea707fc5c788f3f29c61a3d3b5734ace99139b33a914a765ea55df1 chars=1508. Layout-preserving body through the Clery paragraph; address letterhead omitted. Official curly apostrophes preserved.",
        "Distinct from 2024-04-10 and 2025-06-23 FIUPD job-scam timely warnings (those are sendinblue/gift-card variants)."
      ],
      "characterCount": 1508
    }
  ],
  "context": "Official FIUPD timely-warning archive at [police.fiu.edu/crime-awareness-2/timely-warnings](https://police.fiu.edu/crime-awareness-2/timely-warnings/). March 16 2023 product: [TIMELY WARNING PDF](https://police.fiu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/TIMELY-WARNING-March-16-23.pdf).",
  "keyFindings": [
    "Official Clery timely warning for phone-borrow Venmo/Cash App theft."
  ],
  "sources": [
    {
      "title": "TIMELY WARNING - March 16, 2023",
      "url": "https://police.fiu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/TIMELY-WARNING-March-16-23.pdf",
      "type": "official-archive",
      "accessDate": "2026-09-14",
      "archiveUrl": null,
      "archiveNotes": "SPN not attempted after 500 flap"
    }
  ],
  "confidence": "high",
  "tags": [
    "fiu",
    "scam",
    "2023"
  ],
  "dateAdded": "2026-09-14",
  "lastUpdated": "2026-09-14",
  "addedBy": "ingestion"
}