BACK TO CAMPUS ALERT: The NYS Department of State’s Division of Consumer Protection Provides Scam Prevention and Dorm Safety Tips for Students Heading to Campus

 

Students Can Use These Simple but Effective Ways to Prevent Identity Theft and Avoid Scams and Other Safety Risks as They Start the New Academic Year

Secretary Mosley: “Whether students are heading back to campus for another school year, or are heading to campus for the first time, I encourage them and their families to review these tips so they can be safe, protect their personal information, and start the school year with confidence.”

As many students across New York State begin or return to college, vocational or graduate school programs, the New York Department of State’s Division of Consumer Protection is sharing targeted scam prevention and safety tips that can help them start the new academic year with confidence. New York State is home to nearly 300 higher education institutions– the second highest in the nation. Incoming students have many decisions to make as they enter a new school year, and while making choices independently is exciting, it can also present challenges and make students vulnerable to potential scams and other campus safety risks. 

“The start of the academic year should be focused on learning, not figuring out how to recover from being scammed, misled or injured,” said Secretary of State Walter T. Mosley. “Whether students are heading back to campus for another school year, or are heading to campus for the first time, I encourage them and their families to review these tips so they can be safe, protective of their personal information, all in an effort to start the school year with confidence.”

SCAM PREVENTION TIPS FOR HIGHER EDUCATION STUDENTS:

Common Scams Targeting Students:

• Fake Scholarships, Grants or Loans: The primary application for financial aid is the FAFSA form and it’s completely free. Visit FAFSA’s government website directly or New York’s Higher Education Services Corporation website, which provides additional information on financial aid options. FAFSA does not pre-approve loans, so be wary of anyone who offers guarantees or pre-approvals for FAFSA-related loans or grants as this may be a scam.
• Unpaid Tuition Scam: Ignore calls, texts and emails claiming that you’ll be dropped from all classes unless you pay tuition immediately. Always call the school bursar’s office directly to verify your account status. Schools generally send an invoice to alert students of account status.
• Fake Employment or Internship Offers: Scammers can target returning students looking for a new part-time job or internship opportunity. The 2025 IC3 Report from the Federal Bureau of Investigation warns that AI fraud is growing in employment scams. Scammers may offer unsolicited job opportunities in an effort to obtain personal information or install malware to access your device.  Never pay an upfront fee to move forward in an interview process and do not provide personal information, such as your social security number, before verifying the legitimacy of the employer and job opportunity. Be cautious if your only contact is by text or email or if you are asked to install software for a video interview. Make sure that the employer is legitimate by contacting the company through an official channel and that the request for your personal information is necessary, especially if the request is made before a detailed employment offer has been extended.
• Buying Books Online: Scam artists set up fake websites and offer great deals on expensive textbooks but never deliver, leaving the student out of cash and without a textbook. Before you buy, do your research and confirm it’s a reputable source. Pay attention to contact information and return policies. Legitimate sites provide a physical address and working phone number in the contact section. To learn more, check out our consumer alert on how to shop safely and avoid AI-generated fraud and scams online.
• Roommate/Rental Scam: Scammers may pose as an individual selling or renting a property or as someone working on behalf of a property owner. Potential renters are solicited for money in exchange for a promise that the home will be shown or rented upon completion of payment. The scam is realized when there is no property for rent, or the property is already occupied. To avoid this scam, review our guide on how to Navigate Rental Scams.  
• Credit Cards: If applying for a credit card for the first time, do your own research. Students are often targeted with misleading credit card offers that could be a veiled attempt at identity theft or may charge exorbitant annual fees and interest rates. Be careful with unsolicited offers. Learn more about how to assess and use credit cards with resources from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
• Fake Social Media Stores: Scammers can pose as small businesses selling trendy products. Many times, they advertise “clearance” or “going out of business” sales at deep discounts, only to send a low-quality, counterfeit good or run with your money. Avoid making purchases directly through a social media page and always make sure you are on a business’s official website to make purchases.

Protect Yourself from Identity theft:

• Understand the consequences: Criminals can use your personal information to build a fake identity and open new accounts or loans under your name. Restoring credit and correcting false information can be a costly and lengthy process so it’s best to prevent it before it happens. Higher education students are at risk of identity theft, but you can minimize these risks by protecting yourself and keeping your information private.
• Keep all personally identifiable information private: Whether it’s in a dorm room, online or in any social situation, keep all information and documents containing personal information private and securely guarded. Personally identifiable information is information that, when used alone or with other relevant data, can identify a person.
• Remember to always keep a close hold on your social security number (SSN) and ask why it’s needed before deciding to share it. Often organizations include the SSN request as a formality, and it may not be mandatory. Ask if you can use a different kind of identifier.
• Personal documents, checkbooks, credit card statements and other personal papers should always be locked securely.
• When searching for and applying for student loans or other applications for financial aid, never share personal information by phone or internet unless you have initiated contact and have validated the legitimacy of the financial aid source.
• Shred pre-approved credit card offers and bills before disposing of them.

Practice Digital Safety:

• AI is changing the game on campus. A scammer may pretend to be your roommate asking for money for an emergency or parent asking for information. Pick a “safe-word” or “secret code” only you and your trusted people know. If you call for money, trusted people ask for the code.
• If you choose to use AI chatbots or any AI tool, never provide personal information including your social security number, name, date of birth, student ID, or .edu login. 
• Social media is a great way to connect with friends or catch up with the latest viral trend but always remember to guard your personal information. Social media posts often reveal sensitive information unintentionally. Cybercriminals look for content that can reveal answers to security questions used to reset passwords, making accounts vulnerable to identity theft.
• Be wary of free music, games or apps. Free downloads may come with a price – your data. Many free apps, music and games are also tainted with keystroke logging malware. Review the privacy disclosures of apps in your device’s app store before you download and never download apps or files from unknown sources.
• Monitor privacy settings on all online accounts. Regularly review default privacy and security settings and see if there are ways you can further protect your account.
• Before you get rid of your old laptop or smartphone, protect your data so it doesn’t end up in the hands of an identity thief. For tips on how to protect your data before getting rid of your devices, please see information from this Federal Trade Commission article.
• Use payment apps wisely. Payment apps are often a preferred payment method for scammers, and the companies are not required to recover or reimburse funds lost to fraud. See the Division’s consumer alert on payment apps for more information.

College Dormitory Safety:

Keep safety precautions in mind if you are living on campus, especially if you are a first-time residential student. Fires are one of the biggest hazards; the National Fire Protection Association reports that fire departments responded to over 3,000 fires at dormitories, sororities, fraternities and other related structures from 2018-2022. Be sure to check your dormitory for fire and other hazards, and have the following information handy:

• Locate the smoke and carbon monoxide alarms within your dorm or off-campus housing: Verify or obtain assurances that all alarms are in proper working order. Participate in any needed safety demonstrations on campus.
• Check for working sprinkler systems and fire extinguishers: Most at risk are those staying in off-campus housing where these systems are not maintained by the college or university. 
• Locate the nearest emergency exits: Make note of where to go if there is an emergency.
• Never overload outlets to prevent fires: Always follow safety instructions and rules when using power strips or outlet splitters. Plugging too many devices, such as laptops, televisions, mini-refrigerators and more into a power strip can overload the outlet and spark a fire.
• Review the emergency plan in case of fire or a carbon monoxide leak: Ensure all those residing in the room know where to meet and what to do if there is an emergency. Remember to call 911 in case of any emergency and follow safety protocol.
• Learn about lithium-ion battery safety. Lithium-ion batteries power many products and have high power density. Check out our consumer safety guide for tips on buying, using, charging, storing and disposing of lithium-ion batteries.
  

HEAP Block Grant Advisory Council to Meet August 6

 

An open meeting of the Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) Block Grant Advisory Council will be held online using WebEx software on Thursday, August 6, 2026, at 1 p.m.

The NYS HEAP Block Grant Advisory Council is consulted in the development of the HEAP State Plan and in the coordination of energy-related programs. The HEAP Block Grant Advisory Council is composed of representatives from state and local government, energy suppliers, and low-income advocates.

The Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance will provide a webcast for this meeting in real time on August 6, 2026, at:http://vimeo.com/event/2656267

Mayor Mamdani Launches LIFT Tracker to Build Affordable Housing on City-owned Land

 

Administration is advancing more than 50,000 homes across 100 City sites  

Today, Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani and Deputy Mayor for Housing and Planning Leila Bozorg released the Land Inventory Fast Track (LIFT) Tracker, an interactive tool that gives New Yorkers their first comprehensive look at the administration’s pipeline of affordable housing on publicly owned land.   

  

The tracker maps more than 100 City-owned sites across the five boroughs that will deliver more than 50,000 new homes, making it easier for New Yorkers to follow the City’s progress in bringing new housing online.  

  

LIFT also highlights opportunities to pair new housing with public amenities, including libraries and other neighborhood services. The Mamdani administration will maintain an aggressive pace of affordable housing development on City-owned land, issuing requests for proposals (RFPs) for five or more new sites each year.   

  

Developing housing on City land is a central part of the Mayor’s Block by Block housing plan, which charts a path to create 200,000 new affordable homes over the next decade while investing in public housing, preserving existing affordable homes, strengthening tenant protections and expanding homeownership opportunities.  

  

“Too many New Yorkers are being priced out of their homes. We have a responsibility to use every tool we have to build the affordable housing our city needs. The LIFT tracker brings transparency to that work and makes clear that City-owned land is not sitting idle—it is becoming homes, libraries and community space across the five boroughs,” said Mayor Mamdani.  

“On his first day in office, Mayor Mamdani charged us with exploring how we can best use City-owned land to deliver the housing that New Yorkers need – and we are delivering. We have already taken tangible steps forward on more than a dozen projects on public land that will create more than 5,000 new homes, and we are bringing unprecedented public transparency and engagement into this project with the release of the new LIFT tracker,” said Leila Bozorg, Deputy Mayor for Housing and Planning. “We’ll continue our work to advance housing on public sites across the five boroughs, using every tool at our disposal to speed up these projects and identify creative ways to maximize our resources.”  

  

Since taking office, Mayor Mamdani has moved quickly to accelerate affordable housing production on City-owned land. On his first day in office, the Mayor signed Executive Order 4, creating the LIFT Task Force. Since then, the Mayor has completed the city’s first Expedited Land Use Review Procedure (ELURP) and launched the Neighborhood Builders Fast Track. Together, those initiatives will cut as much as two years from the pre-development timeline for affordable housing on City-owned land.   

  

The administration has also launched the Streamlining Procedures to Expedite Equitable Development (SPEED) reforms to reduce the time it takes to build affordable housing and successfully advocated in Albany for reforms to modernize the state’s environmental review process.  

The Mamdani administration has also advanced several major projects on City-owned land. It selected a development team to build “The Aurea,” which will create approximately 131 affordable homes on the site of a former NYPD parking lot in the East Village. Yesterday, HPD announced the selection of a development team to build The Orion, including nearly 1,000 new homes and community amenities, on a long-vacant lot in Hunters Point. The Mamdani administration also released RFPs for the redevelopment of the New Utrecht Library in Brooklyn to build 100% affordable housing and a new library, and to build a mixed-use building on the “B-East” site in East Harlem. The administration also continues to move forward two additional projects co-locating affordable housing with new library facilities at the Grand Concourse and Bloomingdale Libraries.

 

Earlier this year, the administration announced the first three sites to use the Neighborhood Builders Fast Track in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Jerome Avenue in the Bronx and St. Albans, Queens. Together, those developments will deliver up to 300 new affordable homes, including approximately 100 affordable homeownership opportunities.  

  

The administration has also launched public engagement on plans to transform a City service center in Bedford-Stuyvesant into a mixed-use development with 100% affordable housing and expanded social services, and closed financing to create 229 affordable senior homes for the Sol on Park project on NYCHA’s Morris Houses campus. 

These steps are part of the administration’s broader “all-of-the-above” strategy to address New York City’s housing crisis. The recently adopted budget invests a historic $22 billion in affordable housing over five years, including nearly $5 billion in capital funding for new affordable housing over the next two years.   

  

The Mayor’s Block by Block plan sets goals that meet the scale and the urgency of the housing crisis, including building 200,000 new homes and preserving another 200,000 over the next decade. The administration is also investing $5.6 billion in NYCHA over five years, the largest City capital investment in public housing in recent history.   

  

In addition, Mayor Mamdani has strengthened protections for tenants and homeowners by revitalizing the Mayor’s Office to Protect Tenants, introducing the Rental Ripoff reforms – a package of 23 policy changes shaped by tenant input – and launching the City’s first Mayor’s Office of Deed Theft Prevention.  

  

“With LIFT, we’re creating our city’s first-ever comprehensive land inventory tracker for housing, making it easier and faster to develop housing on land owned by all city agencies,” said Housing Preservation & Development Commissioner Dina Levy. “Thank you to Mayor Mamdani and Deputy Mayor Bozorg for prioritizing development on city-owned land, and thank you to our agency partners for joining us in taking action on this crisis.” 

  

“The LIFT Tracker will provide New Yorkers with a clear view into how the City is leveraging public land to address our unprecedented housing shortage,” said HDC President Eric Enderlin. “HDC looks forward to working with our colleagues across City government to continue expanding the supply of deeply affordable homes in the months and years ahead.”  

  

“New York City's future depends on our ability to preserve public housing and accelerate the development of new affordable homes,” said NYCHA Chief Executive Officer Lisa Bova-Hiatt. “We applaud the Mamdani administration for making affordable housing a priority and recognizing the opportunity in delivering more affordable homes for New Yorkers on publicly owned land. We look forward to continuing this important work together as we explore new public development projects that can expand affordable housing opportunities for both NYCHA residents and low-income New Yorkers, much like the Sol on Park project.”  

  

“Addressing New York City's housing crisis requires using every tool available, including our portfolio of City-owned land,” said NYCEDC Interim President & CEO Jeanny Pak. “The LIFT Tracker gives New Yorkers a clearer view of the affordable housing opportunities on publicly owned sites and the progress being made to bring those projects to life. NYCEDC is proud to partner with City agencies to help advance projects that help deliver housing, strengthen neighborhoods, and expand economic opportunity across the five boroughs.”  

“Among The New York Public Library’s proudest accomplishments is the redevelopment of our Inwood Library branch, which now has affordable housing on top. We are delighted that this work—upgrading and investing in local libraries while helping the city construct affordable homes—is continuing at our Grand Concourse and Bloomingdale Library branches. These projects are huge wins for our communities and we look forward to more projects like these down the line,” said Anthony W. Marx, President and CEO of The New York Public Library.  

Federal Jury Convicts New Jersey Man of Terrorism Offenses Relating to His Attempted Murder of Salman Rushdie

 

A federal jury has convicted Hadi Matar, 28, of Fairview, New Jersey, of attempting to provide material support to Hizbollah, a designated foreign terrorist organization, engaging in an act of terrorism transcending national boundaries, and providing material support to terrorists. 

“Matar spent more than a year immersing himself in Hizballah’s violent ideology and preparing to act on a fatwa issued by Iran’s Ayatollahs calling for Mr. Rushdie’s murder,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg. “His brutal attack on Mr. Rushdie during a peaceful speaking event is a chilling reminder of the global reach of Iranian terrorism. With this verdict, justice has been done, and Matar will pay for his crimes.”

“Hadi Matar, who was born and raised in the United States, chose to align his values with the terroristic values of the leaders of Iran, which often promote violence, and in this case, the call for murder,” said U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo for the Western District of New York. “The defendant spent months planning and preparing to carry out what he hoped would be the execution of Salman Rushdie and possibly follow in the footsteps of martyrs he admired. Instead, his attempted act of terror failed, and Salman Rushdie survived, thanks to courageous members of the public and law enforcement, who saved Rushdie and captured Matar.”

“This was not an impulsive act; Matar conducted a violent attack in support of a designated foreign terrorist organization and wanted to carry out a fatwa against the victim,” said Assistant Director Jarod Brown of the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division. “With this verdict, this assailant will pay the price of engaging in terrorism. The FBI and our partners are committed to bringing terrorists and all who support them to justice.”

On Aug. 12, 2022, Matar attempted to murder author Salman Rushdie in an effort to carry out a fatwa calling for Rushdie’s execution because of a novel published by Rushdie in 1988. That fatwa was issued in 1989 by the Supreme Leader of Iran, Ruhollah Khomeini; reaffirmed in 2017 by the Supreme Leader of Iran, Ali Khamenei; and endorsed in a 2006 speech by Hizballah’s Secretary General, Hassan Nasrallah. 

According to evidence presentenced by the government, Matar spent over a year researching the fatwa, including its continuing validity, before deciding to carry it out while Rushdie spoke at the Chautauqua Institution in Mayville, NY. Prior to the attack, Matar discussed the fatwa — and Hizballah’s endorsement of the fatwa — with individuals located in Iran, Australia, and Canada. He also created videos about the fatwa, with titles such as “Rushdie_Fatwa 2.0” and “Rushdie_Fatwa 1.6,” which combined videos about the fatwa with video of Hassan Nasrallah endorsing the fatwa in 2006. 

Matar surrounded himself with symbols of Hizballah martyrs before the attack. He traveled to the Chautauqua Institution using the name “Hassan Mughniyeh,” and carried a false driver’s license bearing the same name. Matar’s false name contained the first name of Hassan Nasrallah, Hizballah’s Secretary General, and the last name of Imad Mughniyeh, the former head of Hizballah’s External Security Organization, who was responsible for planning a number of Hizballah’s terrorist attacks. On the morning of the attack, Matar visited a website run by Hizballah and took screenshots of Hizballah martyrs who had died in the month of August.  

Matar faces a maximum penalty of life in prison when sentenced on Nov. 3 before U.S. District Judge Richard J. Arcara, who presided over the trial. 

Attorney General James Joins Substack

 

AG James Announces Over $230 Billion and 225,000 Jobs Protected for New Yorkers Since January 2025

New York Attorney General Letitia James announced that she has joined Substack, where she will share updates on the Office of the Attorney General’s (OAG) ongoing work fighting for New Yorkers. Attorney General James’ inaugural article, “New York Never Backs Down,” details how her office has pushed back against the federal administration’s attempts to withhold funding and threaten essential services for New Yorkers, protecting hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars, thousands of jobs, and critical services including health care, education, transportation, and offshore wind development.

Below is an excerpt from “New York Never Backs Down.”

“Since January 20, 2025, this federal administration has targeted New York by withholding funding, threatening essential services, and trying to use the power of government to force our state into submission. We answered the only way New Yorkers know how: by fighting back.

“Over the past year and a half, my office has filed 74 lawsuits challenging unlawful federal actions. We are leading 38 of those cases, more than half of the lawsuits filed during this period. And when courts have ruled, we have prevailed 88% of the time.

“Those victories have protected more than $230 billion in taxpayer dollars for New York, including $122.5 billion in illegal cuts and another $107.8 billion subjected to coercive conditions. Thanks to our signature New York refusal to back down, we have also saved more than 225,000 jobs.”

The full article is available now on Attorney General James’ Substack.

ICE Asks Florida Not to Release Illegal Alien from Venezuela Charged in Fatal Vehicle Collision that Killed 82-Year-Old Grandmother

The illegal alien’s front-seat passenger was granted TPS by the Biden Administration and has since been removed from the U.S. 

The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released the following statement after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) lodged a detainer for an illegal alien charged with driving without a valid license and causing a death after fatally hitting an 82-year-old grandmother in a grocery store parking lot in Florida.

According to local reporting, on May 17, Carlos Suarez Contreras of Venezuela backed a vehicle into 82-year-old grandmother Deborah Murphy, who was walking back to her car on a crosswalk outside a Publix in Panama City Beach, Florida. After Suarez Contreras struck Murphy with his vehicle, he reportedly continued backing up. Suarez Contreras and Luis Sanabria Perez, the front-seat passenger, were both determined to be in the country illegally.

The victim: 82-year-old Deborah Murphy

“This senseless tragedy was 100% preventable because these illegal aliens should have NEVER been in the country. One death at the hands of an illegal alien is one too many,” said Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis. “Thanks to our law enforcement partners at the federal and local levels, the illegal alien responsible for this tragic death will now face justice for his crimes. ICE has lodged a detainer asking officials in Florida to turn this illegal alien over to ICE custody so that he can be removed from our country. Meanwhile, the illegal alien passenger, who was granted TPS by the Biden Administration, has since been removed from the country.”

The driver: Carlos Suarez Contreras

Suarez Contreras was arrested on May 17 by the Bay County Sheriff’s Office, and ICE lodged a detainer for him on May 18. Suarez Contreras was originally encountered by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) near Blythe, California in November 2021. The Biden Administration then RELEASED him into the country.

The passenger: Luis Sanabria Perez

The passenger of the vehicle, Sanabria Perez, also from Venezuela, was arrested on May 17 and was booked into ICE custody on May 18. He was admitted to the U.S. on September 4, 2019 as a Temporary Visitor with authorization to remain in the U.S. until March 3, 2020. He remained in the U.S. beyond that date and applied for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) in August 2021, which was granted in June 2022 under the Biden Administration. On November 20, 2025, his TPS was terminated by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). On June 8, 2026, Sanabria Perez was removed from the U.S.

Ponchatoula, Louisiana Man Sentenced to 30 Years at Hard Labor in Fentanyl Poisoning Death of Hammond Man

 

A Ponchatoula man has been sentenced to serve 30 years in prison for the fentanyl overdose death of a 27-year-old Hammond man.

21st Judicial District Attorney Scott Perrilloux and Special Agent in Charge John P. Scott of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) New Orleans Field Division jointly report that on Monday, July 20, Trystan C. McMillion, 28, of Ponchatoula, was sentenced to serve 30 years of hard labor in the Louisiana Department of Corrections following his role in the fatal fentanyl poisoning of a 27-year-old Hammond man.

On January 30, 2024, local law enforcement responded to a call where the victim was found deceased in his apartment. Recognizing the signs of a drug-induced death, local authorities contacted the DEA New Orleans Field Division - Fentanyl Overdose Response Team (FORT) to assist with a detailed homicide investigation.

Through collaborative investigative work, FORT traced the lethal illicit substance directly to McMillion. On August 5, 2024, FORT obtained authorization from the 21st Judicial District Attorney’s Office to charge and arrest McMillion for second degree murder.

Following extensive consultations with the victim’s family and with their explicit approval, prosecutors finalized an agreement to allow McMillion to plead guilty to manslaughter, which carries a 30-year sentence at hard labor without option for early leniency. On July 20, 2026, Judge Brenda Ricks handed down the 30-year sentence after hearing from the deceased’s family, who delivered an emotional victim impact statement detailing the devastating toll fentanyl has taken on their family and the local community. The victim’s family expressed deep gratitude to the agents and officers of FORT for their relentless pursuit of the case and for bringing justice to the family.

Perrilloux applauded the work of the FORT Task Force, including representatives from the Hammond Police Department and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, who diligently investigated this case. Perrilloux also offered his appreciation to Assistant District Attorney William Macaluso who handled the case for the State.

“We will continue to utilize all of the tools available to stop the illicit distribution of fentanyl, including homicide prosecutions when an overdose results in a death,” Perrilloux said.

“The successful prosecution of this case underscores the vital strength of our multi-agency task forces,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge John P. Scott. “Through the FORT initiative, we break down jurisdictional boundaries to hold drug traffickers accountable at every level. We stand with the victim’s family and remain resolute in our mission to dismantle the networks spreading this poison across Louisiana.”

About the DEA New Orleans Field Division – Fentanyl Overdose Response Team (FORT)

The FORT initiative brings together federal, state, and local law enforcement assets and prosecution offices to investigate fentanyl-related overdose deaths as homicides, aggressively targeting distributors and dismantling drug trafficking operations across Louisiana.