[Important Information for Employees] ITS Security Alert: New Phishing Scams (updated links)

[Mark Mastrean]

Campus Community:

A new wave of phishing scams is currently hitting campus email accounts. If
you receive a suspicious message, follow these steps:

   1. *Do not reply*.
   2. *Mark the message as Spam.*
   3. *If you have replied *or are unsure about what to do, contact the ITS
   Helpdesk
   <https://www.plattsburgh.edu/academics/resources/technology/helpdesk/index.html>
   without delay.

Phishing scams typically take the form of targeted email or text messages
designed to get victims to engage and establish a rapport. Two recent scams
we are seeing have the following subject lines:

   - Item shared with you: "2022Resource.pdf"
   - ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT REMOTE JOB

IMPORTANT SAFETY TIP: *Identify that the "from" email address matches the
display name.* The "from" address may look legitimate at first glance, but
a closer look at the email headers may reveal that the email address
associated with the display name is actually coming from someone else.
Off-campus messages are marked as EXTERNAL. *If an email comes from an
address that isn’t affiliated with the apparent sender, it’s almost
certainly a scam *(though there can be exceptions to this situation).

Phishing messages are always changing, so be aware of basic safety
practices when encountering suspicious messages. The goal of the criminal
is to steal data, money, or both. Never part with any of these valuables.

*How to Protect Yourself from Employment Scams*

   1. Be cautious about all communications you receive. Unless you’re
   absolutely sure about the source of a communication, do not respond to it.
   Delete it.
   2. Review the latest information on our Phishing web page.
   <https://www.plattsburgh.edu/academics/resources/technology/infosec/phishing.html>
   3. For the job offers, check the job posting. If a person claims to
   represent a reputable company, visit the official website and look for the
   job posting before agreeing to anything, especially to an interview. If you
   can’t find it, it’s probably a scam.
   4. Be wary of unusual procedures. No real company would ask you to pay
   money to receive a job offer, nor would they send you a check before you’ve
   completed any work or overpay you for supplies and ask you to send back
   part of the money.
   5. Watch out for generic job offers. Jobs that are very general are
   among the most likely to be scams. Another red flag would be the same job
   description posted for different companies on many websites.

As always, should you have any questions about phishing scams or any other
cyber-security issue, please feel free to contact the ITS Helpdesk
<https://www.plattsburgh.edu/academics/resources/technology/helpdesk/index.html>
.

--Information Technology Services (ITS)
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