RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- The Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) Police Department is warning the community of an increase in social media scams targeting students. According to police, the scam involves a person offering money to the victim for the use of their photos, after which the scammer re portedly attempts to intimidate them, sometimes by sending violent images or threats. "Within the past two months, at least 11 victims have come forward to report similar incidents to VCU Police, a significant uptick," officials said. VCU Police said the scammers initially contact victims through social media apps like Instagram or Tiktok. Scammers send direct messages to victims and usually ask potential victims for the use of their photos in exchange for money, in some cases several thousands of dollars. Then, police said the scammers send a fraudulent check to the victim for more than the amount that was agreed upon. The victim is then reportedly told to deposit the check and send the difference back. Banks then flag the checks as fraudulent, causing students' account balances to become negative. In multiple cases, police said scammers then threatened the victims to get the money or request more. "These threats include sending the victim explicit violent images or using separate accounts or phone numbers claiming to have hired an assassin," VCU Police said. The department said detectives are actively investigating these scams. Folks are reminded to never deposit checks sent from unknown sources, especially if they're sent through email, text message or direct message through a social media app. Anyone who suspects fraud is asked to call local law enforcement. VCU community members can report incidents like this to VCU Police at 804-828-6409 or through the LiveSafe app. Anyone who has tried to deposit a possibly fraudulent check should call their bank immediately. ...read more read less