Since at least 2023, the Drew campus has been receiving emails claiming to offer free instruments, for the price of shipping.
These messages are scams. The people and bots behind them are only trying to steal your money. They do not have musical instruments to give to you.
An example of one of these messages can be seen below (click on the image to enlarge it).
Especially when the message appears to come from a Drew account, it seems more trustworthy.
Unfortunately, it is not trustworthy; the scammer asks you to send them money - sometimes using tactics that make it harder for you to later recover your funds - to pay movers and shipping costs, and they never send you an instrument.
The rush that tends to happen around the holidays means that you will likely see an increase in attempts to trick you, take advantage of your generosity, or lead you to believe that someone you know or trust has suggested you benefit from something cool they found.
Remember to stop and think. If it sounds too good to be true, it most likely is. Do you have a different way of getting in touch with the person who reached out? Can you confirm that it is them and ensure someone did not spoof their phone or their email account?
If you do respond to a message like this, contact your bank. Ensure your accounts are still secure and take any measures your bank recommends. You can also look to the information on the FTC website about "What To Do if You Were Scammed" (link, https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/what-do-if-you-were-scammed). And let those around you know to be cautious. You can also forward any suspicious emails to helpdesk@drew.edu so that we can take a look (and encourage you to mark them as phishing when appropriate).