University Police are looking for a street hustler who tells passersby that he is a GW professor and then asks them for money.
In the last month, a black male has asked people on at least two separate occasions to borrow money with the assurance that he will pay them back if they visit his office in the future, according to UPD crime reports. In one instance, he gave a person his name and a campus phone number where he said he could be reached.
The man was not given money in either incident.
UPD determined that the man is an imposter after dialing the office number and finding that no one with the name he gave worked there, UPD Chief Dolores Stafford said.
Several weeks ago, the man asked a pedestrian on the 2100 block of K Street for $60 to pay for transportation so he could get to a meeting. Last week, the man asked a passerby on 9th and I streets for money to get home.
“We have not identified any patterns in his presence at campus as of yet, but the officers are aware of the scam and are on the lookout for him,” Stafford said.
UPD posted a public safety advisory around campus Monday
warning the GW community about the scam, and gave a description of the man, who is approximately six feet tall and is 28 to 35 years old.
Stafford does not have reason to believe that the suspect carries a weapon but said students should not stop to talk to the man.
