Department of Public Safety

The Department of Public Safety (DPS) oversees public safety and emergency management at Brown University. DPS operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. In addition to responding to public safety emergencies and situations, DPS also provides a variety of resources ranging from Safe Walks, property registration, self defense courses, and more. International students and scholars are strongly encouraged to review their resources and to sign up for campus alerts systems using the information links below:

• Non-Emergency Contact Information: (401) 863-3322, or email Campus Safety
• Fire, Police or Medical Emergency: (401) 863-4111, or 911
• Brown Alert System
• Hostile Intruder Emergency Guide
• Campus Crime Alerts
• Safewalk

Office of Information Technology (Online and Device Safety)

The Office of Information Technology (OIT) provides a variety of resources and tools to help people maintain online and device safety against phishing scams, virus protection and more. Go to the OIT website for more information about their services.

Scams are one of the most common safety issues that everyone - including international students and scholars - face on a daily basis. A scam involves an attempt to obtain your money or possessions (including your personal, private information) through deceit and deception. Being aware of the types of scams is key to protecting yourself from highly damaging consequences. Previous victims of scams have lost hundreds of thousands of dollars, so being aware of a scam is essential!

Common Scam Types

• U.S. law enforcement or immigration scams: You receive a threat from persons posing as U.S. federal or state law enforcement (including immigration enforcement) threatening you with severe penalties (such as arrest or deportation) unless you pay them a significant fine.
• Foreign law enforcement scams: Similar to U.S. law enforcement scams, you receive a threat from someone posing as a law enforcement officer in your home country, claiming that you and/or your family under criminal investigation, and you must pay a significant fine to avoid jail or other consequences.
• Apartment scams: You are contacted (usually online) by someone posing as real estate agent or landlord who is renting an apartment for a low rent, and are told you need to pay a deposit to secure the apartment; however, the apartment is already rented or doesn't even exist.
• Job offer scams: You receive an unsolicited job offer from a faculty member or researcher that you do not know, that sounds “too good to be true," and are asked to fill out an information form that asks you for your private information.
• Phishing scams: You receive an email, sometimes from someone who seems to be trustworthy, asking you to provide personal information (including your date of birth, address, Social Security Number, etc.) by completing an online form.

Some Signs of a Scam

Some signs that you are being subjected to a scam include the following. It is important to take a moment and disengage from any contact if you believe you are the target of a scam.

• You are being subjected to high-pressure tactics, such as being told to pay a fine immediately or else you will face arrest
• You are told “not to tell anyone” or else there will be serious consequences
• You are being told to deliver money in strange ways, such as buying gift cards to pay a tax penalty or wiring it to an anonymous account
• You are being offered (a job, an apartment) by someone online, and the offer seems “too good to be true”
• You receive an email from someone claiming to be a University faculty member or employee, but notice that the “from” email is not associated with Brown or any other trusted organization

Reading and Further Resources

• U.S. Federal Trade Commission on avoiding and reporting scams and identity theft and online protection
• U.S. Internal Revenue Service on tax scams and fraud
• USCIS common scams information site
• Social Security fraud
• Brown's OIT on phishing (online scams / personal identity theft)