Information Technology Services

 

Are you familiar with E-Mail Phishing Scams?

 

There have been a number of E-Mail Phishing Scams that have been in the news lately, and some have come to the Lander Campus, includinga recent scam that appeared to originate with Lander University's non-existant Webmail Management Team. Make sure that you don’t fall victim to these scams by protecting your personal information from would-be thieves.

 

What is Phishing?

Phishing is a practice where internet fraudsters attempt to collect your personal information by sending an e-mail or pop-up message suggesting that you need to share your personal information. These messages are often marked Urgent! or High Priority and suggest that there is a deadline and you need to act quickly to update your account information, collect a refund, prevent punitive action, etc... Some phishing scams are very elaborate and incorporate the official logo of the IRS, e-bay, or a financial institution hoping to lure you into a false sense of security about sharing your personal information. Usually a closer look at the e-mail you have received reveals something ‘not quite right’ about the e-mail address from which the communication was sent, the logo (maybe the color is not quite right), or  the web address to which you are being directed.

 

In general, no government agency, financial institution, or legitimate business will ask for your personal information through an e-mail. If you receive an e-mail that looks legitimate to you from an institution with which you do business, please contact the institution directly through your normal means of communication (visit to the bank, phone call, secure website, etc…). To protect yourself, do not respond to e-mail requests for personal information or click on links in e-mails asking for this type of information.

 

You can read more about Phishing on the U.S. government’s On Guard On Line website located here:

http://www.onguardonline.gov/phishing.html

 

More information about Phishing scams that appear to be from the IRS is available from the IRS website located here:

http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=155682,00.html

 

Information about the global incidence of Internet scams and fraud, including what to do if you think you have given out your personal financial information, is available from the Anti-Phishing Working Group's website: http://www.antiphishing.org/

 

If you have questions about phishing, you can contact the ITS Help Desk at extension 8234 or (864) 388-8234 from off-campus.