1. Cybersecurity Scams Targeting Students

There are numerous scams being reported that are targeting individuals at the college and graduate school level. Here are some of the scams to look out for:

• Student Financial Service Scam: There are many types of scams that pose as legitimate offers for scholarships, grants and financial aid services. The student is contacted by telephone, mail, or email with a great offer but is asked to provide personal information or pay upfront fees in order to proceed. These fees are usually paid by gift card or money wire.
• The Unpaid Tuition Scam: The scammer contacts the student or the parents claiming that the tuition bill has been unpaid and that payment needs to be made immediately without affecting the student’s enrollment. Before you run off and make a payment, call the school’s financial aid office and verify if this is true. The school would most likely send a paper bill before calling and threatening immediate payment.
• Online Income Scam: Scammers prey on college students promising them a job online and ways for them to make quick and easy money. The company will either ask the students for money upfront or send them a check for their work and ask them to send a portion back to the company.
• Buying Books Online Scam: Scam artists set up fake websites and offer great deals on expensive textbooks only to never deliver the textbook, leaving the victims out of money and without the textbook they ordered.
• Roommate/Rental Scam: The scammers normally pose as an individual selling or renting a property or as a property management business conducting the transaction on behalf of a client who is the alleged owner of the property. Potential renters are then solicited for money in exchange for promises that the homes will be shown to them or rented to them upon completion of their payment. Then, once the payment is received, the prospective buyer or tenant eventually realizes that there is in fact either no home for sale or that the property is in fact occupied.
   

These scams can be prevented. Here are some tips to remember:

• Be sure to speak with someone from UTHSC before making payments on a supposed unpaid bill or offering information on a loan, grant, or scholarship that is being offered.
• Completing financial aid forms, especially a FASFA form, does not cost anything to fill out.
• Research thoroughly into any business before providing personal financial information or credit card information. Make sure that the website is a secure website (https://).
• Do research, and talk to friends, family, and school officials to learn more about how to be protect yourself or your loved one from a scam.
• Never give your personal information to anyone who contacts you out of the blue.
• If you believe you have been a victim of a scam, report it to your local police immediately, contact your bank or credit card company, and file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission.

These scams and tips are not limited to our students. Anyone can be socially engineered, so share these tips with family and friends. Keep reporting suspicious emails to abuse@uthsc.edu for examination and any other inquiries for the Office of Cybersecurity should be directed to itsecurity@uthsc.edu.

2. Students: Online Appointment Scheduling Now Available at UHS

Convenient. Short wait times. Virtual visits available.

University Health Services (UHS) provides exceptional and convenient care for all UTHSC students, employees, and their dependents, 18 and older. Students may now schedule appointments online for UHS by visiting the Patient Portal.

Behavioral, urgent, and occupational care also available!

To schedule an appointment:
Call 901.448.5630 or schedule online via the Patient Portal at https://uthsc.edu/student-health-services/index.php

UHS is located on the UTHSC campus in Memphis:
910 Madison Building, 9^th floor

Hours:
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday: 8:00 am – 5:00 pm
Wednesday: 8:00 am  1:00 pm
Closed daily for lunch: 1:00 – 2:00 pm

3. Free Fitness Assessments

Beginning the week of June 21, the Fitness Center on the Memphis campus will be offering FREE fitness assessments. This assessment will check your heart rate, blood pressure, body fat, flexibility, strength, and endurance recovery. Contact sfenech@uthsc.edu for more information and to register.

4. Required HIPAA Training Due June 30

Faculty, Staff, Postdocs, Residents, and Students: To ensure everyone is aware of their responsibilities under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), the University of Tennessee Health Science Center’s (UTHSC) workforce must undergo periodic HIPAA Privacy Training. This online training is the official 2021 UTHSC-sanctioned training for federal HIPAA compliance purposes.

To access the UTHSC HealthStream HIPAA Training, you MUST use this link: https://www.healthstream.com/hlc/uthlth 

The deadline for completing this training is June 30.  

5. Employees: Join the Sick Leave Bank by June 30

The Sick Leave Bank is an opportunity for eligible employees to protect their income. The Sick Leave Bank may provide paid leave to bank members who have exhausted all of their own paid leave due to a personal illness or injury.

Open enrollment for the Sick Leave Bank this year is April 1 through June 30. Enrollment forms must be submitted to the Employee Relations office within Human Resources at 910 Madison, Suite 764 by June 30.

For additional information, please see HR0382 Sick Leave Bank Policy (UT System) and UTHSC Sick Leave Bank Procedures.