This item giveaway scam was sent from a compromised account at another Canadian university. It claims that a faculty member is giving away a number of high-value items for free and you just have to pay the delivery cost. That last part is the catch–you’ll be told to send money to a mover that the scammer specifies, but you’ll never receive the items after paying the considerable sum.
The faculty member named in this email is actually fictitious. Do a search on the name of the person who is supposedly giving away the items; finding nothing to indicate that there is actually someone by that name at that university is a strong sign that the whole thing is a scam. But even if they are real, look for signs of impersonation, such as the use of a freemail address (e.g.: Gmail, Outlook.com, Hotmail or Yahoo), or a sender address that seems to belong to someone else. When in doubt, do not reply to the email or use any contact information from it; contact the person via a phone or video call using official contact information from their directory listing.
Also note how the scam tells you to reply by sending a text message. Asking to switch to SMS or messaging apps is often a sign of a scam; scammers do this to move the conversation to a place that can’t be monitored by our security systems. Additionally, the phone number has a Washington, D.C. area code, which is not something that a real faculty or staff member from a Canadian university would be likely to use.
As the old saying goes, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
You don’t often get email from [redacted]. Learn why this is important
Dear Students and Staff,
I hope this message finds you well.
Dr. Hannah Brezesky recently completed a successful business venture and has since moved into a new home. As part of this transition, she has generously decided to give away several high-quality personal items—completely free of charge, to members of our community, with a special focus on students and staff.
The available items include:
Leica Q2 47.3 MP Digital Camera (Black)
Schecter Electric Guitar
Yamaha G2 Grand Piano
PlayStation 5 (Used, Like New)
Kaabo mantis x plus electric scooter
Drone SWELLPRO FD1
All items are in excellent condition. The only requirement is that interested individuals cover the delivery cost to their preferred address.
If you’re interested in receiving any of these items, please contact Dr. Hannah Brezesky directly via text at +1 (202) ***-**** for more details. Items will be gifted on a first-come, first-served basis.
Warm regards,
On behalf of Dr. Hannah Brezesky