Public Safety issues two bulletins: illegal downloading and e-mail scams
The University of St. Thomas Public Safety Department has posted two bulletins on its Website. One is about a recent increase in the amount of illegal downloading on campus, the other is about e-mail scams in which bogus money orders or cashiers' checks are offered to students.
The bulletin about downloading notes that since the first of the year, Public Safety has documented 29 complaints -- from the Recording Industry Association of America and Home Box Office Inc. -- regarding violations of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.
The bulletin explains the university's policies regarding computing resources and offers tips on downloading.
The bulletin about e-mail scams describes how some members of the St. Thomas community have been contacted electronically by a person falsely claiming to be an incoming student seeking a rental unit. In another variation, the scammers pretend they are targets of a hitman.
In either case, the goal is to cheat well-intentioned victims. Public Safety offers fraud-prevention tips.
The bulletins appear at the top of the list on this Public Safety Web site.