A Phishing attempt has been made on campus in which the sender claims to be upgrading the Shawnee.edu email system.  See below:

From: "SHAWNEE.EDU WEBMAIL TEAM" <serge.baillargeon@3web.net> Date: July 16, 2008 2:25:24 PM EDT Subject: UPGRADE YOUR SHAWNEE.EDU EMAIL ACCOUNT NOW!! Reply-To: upgradeyouraccount.upgrade76@gmail.com Dear SHAWNEE.EDU Email Account Owner, This message is from SHAWNEE.EDU messaging center to all SHAWNEE.EDU email account owners. We are currently upgrading our data base and e-mail account center. We are deleting all unused email accounts to create space for new accounts. To prevent your account from being deactivated, you will have to upgrade it. UPGRADE YOUR EMAIL ACCOUNT Email Username : ............... Email Password : .............. Date of Birth : .................. Country or Territory : ......... Warning!!! Account owners that refuses to update their accounts within seven(7) days of receiving this email will lose their accounts permanently. Thank you for using SHAWNEE.EDU ! Warning Code: USV64MT1 Thanks, SHAWNEE.EDU  WEBMAIL TEAM

This Phishing attempt claimed that if the receiver did not reply with the requested information within 7 days, their account would be deactivated.  This message was not sent from Shawnee State University.

If you had received these e-mails and supplied your password, please take the following measures immediately:

1. Reset your SSU account password IMMEDIATELY with a strong password.

To reset your password visit http://www.shawnee.edu/off/uis/index.html and in the center of the page, under the heading HELP DESK, select the CHANGE NETWORK PASSWORD option and then follow the instructions to change your password.

Recommendation for a Strong Password

a.	Set your passwords with at least eight characters composed of random letters, digits and symbols
b.	Never use dictionary words and personal related information such as name, date, telephone number, CARS ID, etc.

 2. Preventive Measures

These phishing e-mails and websites are designed to look like the real ones. Fraudulent bank websites for example, are hosted to lure you to give your account information. The most common way is through e-mail and pop up instant messages, where "banks" or "distant relatives" ask for the user's personal information and password.

Here are some guidelines to avoid falling victim to phishing scams:

Always

• Remember that legitimate companies will never ask their clients to send over sensitive information online. If you are unsure, you can phone the company to verify if they have sent such an e-mail.
• Type the actual URL address (if they are safe to visit) yourself instead of clicking onto the link inside the e-mail. Sometimes, the scammers may send you a URL that looks proper but secretly links you to a fake website.
• Lock your computers and mobile phones in case they fall into bad hands
• Change your passwords regularly

Never

• Open any e-mails or follow any URL links from non-verified sources or e-mails.
• Open attachments from unknown e-mails, as they may contain computer Trojans (a type of malware) that records your keystrokes when you enter your passwords and spies on your computer data without your knowing.
• Have sensitive information such as ID-card number, credit card details, drivers licenses, or passwords saved in your computer. This makes you particularly vulnerable to Phishing

 

IRS Email Scams – Beware! It is not just tax season

As tax season approaches, we take this time to inform you about various IRS email scams and hoaxes that pop up during this time of year. IRS email scams can be found at all times of the year, they just seem to be more frequent during tax season.

The first thing to keep in mind is that the IRS will never initiate contact with an email. If you come across any of these IRS email scams forward the email to phishing@irs.gov.

Often the emails play on consumers’ emotions, typically fear. One form of the email scams uses the IRS logo and threatens to “e-audit” you. The email scams state to send them personal information (social security number, birth date, etc) or otherwise an “IRS” e-audit will need to be performed.

Another type of IRS email scam uses the promise of an unclaimed refund as the bait. The email states that after reviewing IRS records, that you are eligible for an $X amount of money. In order to claim the money you will need to fill out a tax refund request. The scam email includes a link to a fake tax refund request that collects your personal information. You can see a sample here.

Another fake IRS email states that your account has been blocked because of multiple fraudulent attempts to access your account. To ensure security of your IRS account, they have shut it down and in order to reopen your account you will need to fill out a form. The form is of course fake and is on an email scammers own Web site. The form asks for personal information, which the con artist then uses to steal your identity.

These are just examples of email scams that use the IRS name to trick you. There are multiple versions of these scams. Remember the IRS will NEVER initiate contact with you via email. If you come across any of these IRS email scams forward the email to phishing@irs.gov. For more information on IRS email scams see: http://www.irs.gov/individuals/article/0,,id=155344,00.html