TU Today

Phishing alert: how to recognize this growing scam 

Don’t fall for it! The Office of Information Security (OIS) in the Office of Technology Services (OTS) warns about a current phishing scam targeting faculty, staff and students.

About the scam
This email scam falsely claims to be from a higher ranking faculty or staff member requesting you make an unusual purchase (like a gift card) or to send confidential data. See a PDF example of this type of phishing scam.

Recognizing the scam
Look for a combination of these things:

• [EXTERNAL EMAIL – USE CAUTION] – The external tag is present at the top of all incoming emails coming from external sources. Note: not all emails with this tag are malicious; it’s meant to raise your awareness.
• An unknown sender email address – Confirm if you recognize the email address, not the sender’s name.
• Generic open-ended questions in the subject or body. Examples include: ‘Are you available’, ‘do you have a minute’, or asking for your mobile phone number.
• Requests to move the conversation to a text.
• An unusual or strange purchase request.

What to do if you’ve received this type of scam
If you receive this or a similar suspicious email in your TU account:

• Do not reply through email or complete the request.
• Question the request. Ask yourself if the request is normal.
• Report the phish by using the ‘Report Phish’ button in Outlook on a computer, or by forwarding the email to phishing@towson.edu.

For more information on recognizing suspicious emails and for real life examples, visit www.towson.edu/phishing. If you would like an OIS team member to give an interactive phishing Webex presentation to your group or department, submit a TechHelp service request or email securityawareness@towson.edu.

Categorised in: General

This post was written by Weldon, Jennifer