Category: Scams
Emerging Scam: COVID-19 Vaccine Phishing
Similar to the COVID themed phishing messages seen earlier this year (you can read about those here), reports are emerging that similar messages are being received with a newer theme of “COVID Vaccines”. Exploiting fears that shortages may occur, known phishing messages compel recipients to reserve their place in line to get the vaccine by following a link and logging in to site. Others may… Read More about Emerging Scam: COVID-19 Vaccine Phishing.
Impersonation Email Scams
Spoofing / Impersonation Email spoofing and impersonation are techniques where a scammer creates an email message with a forged sender address in hopes of deceiving the recipient into thinking the email originated from someone they know or recognize. Scammers will use email spoofing to help disguise themselves as a supervisor, professor, or financial organization to trick users into performing some type of action like purchasing… Read More about Impersonation Email Scams.
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Using Caution With E-mail Attachments
Use caution when opening attachments, even when the source e-mail appears to be from someone you know. Always pay close attention to the “From” line to ensure that the sender is not impersonating someone you normally interact with. Example: personwhosnameyouknow.unc.edu@aol.com. Note the use of unc.edu as part of the address to make it appear more legitimate, when in actuality the domain is aol.com in this… Read More about Using Caution With E-mail Attachments.
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Coronavirus “Safety Measures” Scam
There are reports of e-mails purporting to be from the World Health Organization (WHO) that are actually phishing messages that prey on people’s fears of the current coronavirus outbreak. Please maintain vigilance during this time of heightened sensitivity to news about the outbreak. These tips can help navigate tricky scam attempts like this one: Be wary of messages with a sense of urgency requesting action… Read More about Coronavirus “Safety Measures” Scam.
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Unexpected Attack Vectors: Charging Cables
Most people are aware that plugging unknown USB drives into your computer is probably a bad idea, but what about using charging cables from unknown sources? Articles from both Forbes magazine (link HERE) and Vice (link HERE) have some pretty wild news out of the hacking conference DEFCON about targeted charging cable attacks. Hackers have developed charging cables that look legitimate and will actually charge… Read More about Unexpected Attack Vectors: Charging Cables.
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Tip: Beware of Dubious Donation Scams
When tragedy strikes, scammers go to work on taking advantage of people’s desire to help. If you receive communications regarding donating to charity, there are resources available to help you navigate the legitimacy of the organization. These organizations offer reports and ratings about how charitable organizations spend donations and how they conduct business: BBB Wise Giving Alliance Charity Navigator CharityWatch GuideStar The IRS’s Tax Exempt… Read More about Tip: Beware of Dubious Donation Scams.
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Tip: Employment Scams
Recently, the Information Security Office has been alerted to an uptick in attempts to gather personal information from students via fake job offers purporting to be from research employment opportunities. Here are some tips to help you sort out whether a job offer solicited via e-mail is legitimate or not (here’s a clue: they’re usually not). The employer contacted you and you never contacted them…. Read More about Tip: Employment Scams.
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Tip: Tax Season
Tax season is upon us, and with it, an opportunity for scammers to try and capture your personal information for financial gain. Maintain vigilance, and if you get a strange feeling about phone call or e-mail, don’t hesitate to follow up and verify authenticity before doing anything else! Here are some tips you can use to reduce your chances of being a victim: -File your… Read More about Tip: Tax Season.