In 2023, parents of students at several colleges and universities have been targeted by phone calls from scammers who impersonated the campus safety department of their students’ institution or law enforcement. The phone number in Caller ID appeared credible. The scammers claimed the student had an emergency or legal situation that required the parent to pay money to “fix” or “release” the student. Don’t provide your personal information. 

Bad actors have targeted health care and education in the attempt to compromise data systems. No one from the college will call and ask you for financial information to fix an emergency situation. If you receive such a call, do not provide any payment, banking information, or any personal information. The more urgent the caller sounds regarding payment, the more deliberate and careful you will want to be. You are encouraged to take down the details and end the call. 

At Westmont all college information is stored in one of the most secure platforms available. In addition, IT and an outside security firm regularly audit all systems managed by the college to find and close vulnerabilities. To date, no known issues exist but IT remains vigilant. The purpose of this communication isn't to alarm you but simply to make you aware of this risk in higher education and to encourage your vigilance. 

If you feel like you need to, reach out to your student to confirm they are well. Wait for their response, even if it takes a while. Don’t allow the scammer's urgency to drive your reaction in any way. Report the phone call and details of the incident to Westmont by sending an email to support@westmont.edu. You can copy parents@westmont.edu as well. Should you ever need to contact Westmont's Campus Safety, call (805) 565-6222.