Phony retirement consultation emails targeting employees

Message on behalf of Human Resources and Information Resources & Technology:

Some employees have recently been contacted by private organizations claiming to represent the State of New Jersey and/or Rowan University and offering personal consultations on pension and retirement benefits. 

These organizations are, at best, trying to engage employees in financial advising, and, at worst, attempting identity theft or fraud. 

If you receive an email from an organization you aren’t familiar with regarding your pension or retirement benefits, please check our list of recent scams to see if it’s a scam we’ve already identified. If you don’t see the scam and would like to validate or report the scam, forward the message to support@rowan.edu and then delete it. For more information about spotting a scam, visit our page on How to Spot a Scam​. 

Employees enrolled in the Public Employees Retirement System (PERS) or the Police and Fire Retirement System (PFRS) should not be contacted by any outside organization regarding pension and retirement benefits. Employees who are enrolled in the Alternate Benefit Program and selected from one of seven state-approved vendors to invest retirement contributions may be contacted by that vendor via Rowan University email, but generally only in response to an inquiry sent by the employee. 

Pension counseling that is offered through the University will be directly communicated to you by Human Resources, not by an individual pension vendor, unless you have signed up to attend an event through an approved Human Resources email. 

For any additional questions about pension and retirement benefits, please contact Caren Sheppard, Director of Pensions & Benefits, at 856-256-4136.