Don’t fall for it! The Office of Information Security (OIS) in the Office of Technology Services (OTS) warns about a current phishing scam targeting faculty and staff.
About the scam
This scam falsely claims to be from a TU employee, usually a higher ranking employee, and has a subject line of “URGENT.” The email requests an employee to buy gift cards, and reply with the card and PIN numbers. The sender discourages calling, claiming to be busy, and could also be asking for financial records, social security numbers or confidential records. See a PDF example of this type of phishing scam.
What to do if you’ve received this type of scam
If you receive this or a similar suspicious email in your TU account, please report it by doing the following:
- Do not reply or engage through email.
- Pick up the phone and call the supposed TU sender. If your boss or coworker asks for any sensitive information, or for you to make a purchase, call to confirm they made the request.
- Report the email. If using a mobile device, forward it to phishing@towson.edu. If using Outlook on a desktop/laptop can click the “report phish” button at the top of the email. Both options send the email to OIS for review.
- Delete the email. Simply delete it from your inbox.
For more resources on how to recognize phishing, visit www.towson.edu/phishing.
