Campus Watch: Below is a summary of campus activity reported to or observed by The University of Texas At Austin Police Department Patrol Officers between Monday 02/20/17 and Tuesday 02/21/17. ****Scam Alert**** With the beginning of tax season we have received multiple calls regarding attempted scams. These scams are very similar to the ones we have seen the last two years. An unknown caller clones the telephone number of a local law enforcement agency or a university's telephone number. The caller then uses the cloned number to call a student. The caller tells the student that the student owes back taxes, tuition, or failed to complete necessary paperwork. The caller then tells the student he or she owes money and will either be arrested or kicked- out of school if the student does not make a payment. The caller advises the student if they disconnect the phone call, a warrant will be issued for their arrest. The caller then walks the student through making a wire transfer. In recent cases, the caller has instructed students to purchase gift cards and subsequently provide the gift card number over the phone as payment. Please keep in mind, law enforcement agencies and universities will not demand payment over the phone. They also do not demand payment in the form of gift cards. If you receive this type of call, get information from the caller to include their name, the department they work for, the name of their supervisor and a case or file number. Disconnect the call and contact the department the person said they were calling from to verify the information. ****Update**** Thanks to an alert reader of the Campus Watch, the suspect from Monday's be on the lookout flyer has been captured. Read more about the arrest below. 100 Block of Dean Keeton Street Theft: A UT student misplaced her wallet in the 100 Block of Dean Keeton. When she realized her error and checked the area the wallet was gone. Reported on 02/20/17 at 11:09 am. Perry–Castañeda Library 101 E. 21st Street Criminal Trespass Warning: UTPD Officers were summoned to the library in regards to a suspicious person. The man was said to be making people feel uncomfortable and encroaching on the personal space of patrons. Officers located the man, issued him a criminal trespass warning and ejected him from campus. Occurred on 02/20/17 at 11:25 am. Neural and Molecular Science Building 2506 Speedway Credit/Debit Card Abuse: A credit card was fraudulently used to make online purchases. The investigation is ongoing. Reported on 02/20/17 at 11:37 am. Perry–Castañeda Library 101 E. 21st Street Theft: A UT student left his cell phone unattended inside the library. When he returned to the area he found that the phone had been stolen. The cost of replacing the phone is estimated to be $700.00. Reported on 02/20/17 at 1:50 pm. Jackson Geological Sciences Building 2305 Speedway Evading Arrest or Detention/Multiple Felony Warrant Arrest: On 02/20/17, we attached a flyer to be on the lookout (BOLO) for a suspect wanted for multiple felonies. A particularly alert reader of the Campus Watch saw that flyer, printed it out and hung it in her office. Later that day she saw the very man featured on that BOLO flyer inside the building. She quickly called UTPD and reported his location. UTPD officers arrived on scene and located the suspect. Upon seeing the officers, the wanted man decided to get some exercise and tried to run away. What he did not realize was that the responding officer is a member of UTPD's bike team and was up for the challenge. The officer easily won the footrace and took the fugitive into custody. He was then transported to Travis County Central Booking where he will answer for his crimes against members of our Campus Community. Occurred on 02/20/17 at 13:50 To the staff member who submitted that tip: Thank You from all of us at The University of Texas at Austin Police Department. You went above and beyond and we are truly grateful. Since the tip led to a criminal arrest, the staff member has demonstrated that they are Hungry For Justice and will receive a free pizza delivered by yours truly and other members of our department. As a reminder, the Hungry for Justice Program rewards anyone who reports a tip that leads to a criminal arrest with a free pizza. Hearst Student Media 2504 C Whitis Avenue Harassment: A UT student reported that they were receiving unwanted communications from an acquaintance. Occurred on 02/20/17 at 6:15 pm. 2100 Block of San Jacinto Theft: A UT Student flagged down a passing UTPD officer to report that he had found a wallet. The officer located the owner of that wallet. The owner reported that cash was missing. Reported on 02/21/17 at 12:09 am. The University of Texas at Austin Police Department responded to 17 Alarm Reports, 43 Traffic Violations, 11 Foot Patrols, 1 Fire, 13 Suspicious Activity Reports, 2 Assist Other Law Enforcement Agency Calls, and 23 Public Assists between Monday 02/20/17 and Tuesday 02/21/17. Today's Campus Watch was prepared by: Officer M. Murphy To subscribe or unsubscribe, visit http://www.utexas.edu/police/campuswatch/subscribe.php/
