VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Virginia Beach City Public Schools is warning parents and staff about a recent scam call targeting VBCPS families.
A person impersonating a school staff member called a parent from a 757 area code offering SAT preparation materials, school officials say. The scammer knew the student's name, grade, and school.
They asked for credit card information to hold a $250 fee, school officials detailed.
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Staff will never call asking for financial information, school officials stated. Any payments will go through secure and official VBCPS systems.
School officials ask families who receive suspicious calls like this to hang up and report them to Virginia Beach police's emergency line at 757-385-5000.
Police are investigating the incident.
Read the full statement from VBCPS below:
VBCPS families and staff,
We want to make you aware of a recent scam targeting members of our school community. A parent reported receiving a call from someone impersonating a VBCPS staff member. The caller knew the student’s name, grade level, and school, and claimed to be offering SAT preparation materials. The caller asked for credit card information to “hold” a $250 fee. The call came from a 757 area code.
While similar scams [email-link.parentsquare.com] have circulated in the past, this attempt is concerning because of the level of detail the caller used and the impersonation of a VBCPS staff member. Please remember: VBCPS staff will never call to request your credit card or other financial information. Any official payments are handled through secure, authorized VBCPS systems.
We encourage you to:
- Be cautious of unsolicited calls requesting financial information.
- Hang up immediately if something feels suspicious.
- Report it to the Virginia Beach Police Department’s non-emergency line at 757-385-5000.
The safety and security of our families remain a top priority. Please know the Virginia Beach Police Department is investigating this situation. Thank you for helping us stay alert and protect our community from scams.
