Internet criminals and hackers often portray themselves as legitimate and trustworthy, in order to gain your trust. We all share a responsibility to Think Before You Click! Clues to help you spot a phishing scam:
- Requests for your username and/or password- credible institutions and organizations will not request personal information via email;
- Time sensitive threats (e.g., your account will be closed if you do not respond immediately);
- Spelling and grammar mistakes;
- Vague or missing information in the “from” field or email signature;
- “To” field contains multiple random email address or is alphabetized;
- Impersonal or awkward greetings, such as “Dear Mr. account holder;”
- Unexpected files or downloads;
- Links that don’t refer to the sender or sender’s organization;
- Emails about accounts that you don’t have, such as eBay or PayPal, or banks that you don’t have accounts with;
- Emails “from” celebrities;
- Asks you to reply in order to “opt out” of a service; or
- Plays on human emotions to evoke sympathy, kindness, fear, worry, anxiety, or excitement.
Please visit www.safecomputing.ttu.edu for more tips and information on a variety of cyber security topics. The National Cyber Security Awareness Alliance also provides tips at www.StaySafeOnline.org.
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Posted:
10/24/2014
Originator:
IT Education
Email:
iteducation@ttu.edu
Department:
Technology Support
Categories
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