If you’re reading this, you may have spotted August’s phishing test email! As always, you should report any other suspicious or questionable email with the Phish Alert Button (PAB) or forward it to reportaphish@udel.edu. Even if you click on a phishing link, always report the message. When it’s a UD challenge, we increase our reporting rate and gain greater understanding of our community’s awareness about phishing. When it’s a real phish, we can help reduce or prevent the consequences to you and the UD community.
This email was sent as part of the Secure UD “Take a BITE out of phish!” campaign, a University initiative to raise our community’s awareness about phishing attacks, their consequences, and how to avoid becoming a victim. Each month, a random sample of employees will receive a harmless test phish like this one:
- Always examine the sender’s email address. Legitimate emails come from @verizon.com. Phishing emails often have different domains or use generic addresses.
- Phishing emails often use logos from legitimate companies. You should log into your verizon account to verify invoice details.
- Using your name or other information specific to you does not mean an email is legitimate. Phishers will often use your name or additional information to appear legitimate. Consider the necessity of posting publicly viewable personal or professional information online and know that your content can be, and sometimes is, archived.
- Don’t click links within a suspicious email. Hyperlinks that appear legitimate can be disguised links to a criminal or malicious website. When in doubt, hover your mouse over the hyperlink’s text (you should see the full URL, which will help show whether it leads to a legitimate website). Or better yet, open a browser window and manually type the URL yourself to prevent it from being redirected. To inspect a link when using a mobile device, you can tap and hold the link to see the actual URL.
- Scammers create a sense of panic by claiming your account is compromised or your bill is overdue to pressure you into acting quickly.
For more information, visit: https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/how-recognize-and-avoid-phishing-scams