Luther faculty, students, staff and parents were notified on April 25 about a scam alert, in which individuals posing as Campus Police requested bond money for “held” students.
Luther had learned of a new fraudulent scheme directed toward the parents of students. Individuals using blocked or unknown caller IDs were calling parents to tell them that Luther College’s “Campus Police” had their child in custody, and requested the parents send bond money via a digital exchange such as CashApp or Chime.
Director of Campus Safety and Security Bob Palmer (‘91) was quick to get ahead of the scam and ensure students and parents that everything was well. He sent out the message on April 25, in which he said that Luther was currently “in the process of confirming that the parent personal numbers did not come from any known Luther source.”
“The likelihood is the scammers are using public-facing rosters of students to acquire names, and then use other sources to connect the students with parent info through other means,” Palmer said in his message.
Few were involved in the scam, but some at Luther have worried how this would affect their data and important information. The scam alert sparked a conversation by students, including Liz Clement (‘26), about how secure Luther is.
“I just worry that with this scam I might have to worry about how safe my information is,” Clement said. “I put a lot of trust in Luther to keep my information safe and I do not want to see that safety compromised.”
Campus Security ensured that data was safe, but some students like Alexys Harwood (‘26) also worried about how their parents viewed their safety on campus and online.
“My mom was really worried about not only me but my data as well,” Harwood said. “I mean, I put bank information, personal information, and security card information into Norse Hub and other platforms on a daily basis. It is important to ensure that my data is protected.”
Outside of personal data, conversations regarding Campus Security’s response were in question and heavily debated. Liz Clement (‘26) said she discussed Palmer’s message with some of her friends, and said it felt “kind of like a brush-off.”
“It was a very short email, and to know that some student’s information was compromised should have been a bigger deal than campus security made it seem,” Clement said.
Despite these conversations, Campus Security ensures that students’ data is safe and that action steps have been taken. They also explicitly stated their stance and limitations on the scam. “We have reported [the scam] to the appropriate authorities,” Palmer said in his message. “We appreciate the outreach from parents who alerted our Campus Safety office last night and this morning. We also want to take a moment to remind all that Luther College does not have a ‘Campus Police,’ nor does Campus Safety have any sworn officer authority to arrest or hold anyone for bond.”
Campus safety urges those who have questions or concerns to reach out to them directly at [email protected] or 563-387-2111.
