SCAM ALERT: UT Police warning students and families of new scam

The University of Tennessee’s Police Department is warning the parents and families of students of a scam that has been reported. The department said the person running the scam is calling people while posing as a member of the UT Police Department and telling potential victims that their loved one has been arrested. The scammer then demands money, specifically $1,900, to be paid through Venmo or PayPal to circumvent the arrest or to avoid the media being notified. The department is asking everyone to remember no one from UTPD will ever ask for money or payments over the phone and they will also never ask for payments through PayPal, Venmo, GreenDot or Western Union. Anyone who gets a call like the one mentioned above is encouraged to simply hang up.