Phishing and scam emails are deceptive messages designed to steal your personal information, such as passwords, credit card numbers, or Social Security numbers. While these messages are increasingly sophisticated, there are key signs that can help you identify them.
Stay safe by keeping the following in mind:
1. Suspicious or Unfamiliar Sender: Check the sender's email address. Phishing emails often come from addresses that look similar to legitimate ones but may have slight variations or domain names.
2. Urgent or Threatening Language: Scammers often use urgent language to pressure you into quick action, like clicking a link or providing sensitive information.
3. Unexpected Attachments or Links: Be cautious of emails with unexpected attachments or links. Hover over links to see if the URL looks legitimate before clicking.
4. Requests for Personal Information: Legitimate organizations will never ask for sensitive information like passwords or credit card details via email.
5. Job Offers: Scammers often send fake job offers promising large amounts of cash for limited work. If it seems too good to be true, it usually is.
6. Impersonation Attempts: The message is attempting to impersonate West Chester University and is known as a Spear Phishing Campaign, where bad actors use an external email address disguised as a known entity with position of authority (for example, President, Vice President or Dean of the university) to create a sense of urgency tricking you into responding over email communications.
When you spot a Phish or suspect a Scam, take the following steps to protect yourself:
1. Check the WCU PhishBowl: IS&T keeps a list of the latest phishing attempts here https://www.wcupa.edu/infoServices/security/phishBowl.aspx
2. Don't Click Links or Download Attachments: Avoid clicking on any links or downloading attachments in the email.
3. Report the Email: Forward the suspicious email to the IS&T Help Desk at helpdesk@wcupa.edu or call 610-436-3350.
4. Delete the Email: After reporting, delete the email from your inbox to prevent accidental interaction with it.
Examples of common Phishing and Scam emails:
