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To: All Faculty and Staff, All Campuses From: Dawn Irish, Director Communications & Organizational Effectiveness, University Information Technology (UIT) Re: Beware of Phishing Attacks Targeted at Community Members Returning from Summer Break In recent years phishing attacks aimed at universities have increased in the weeks preceding the start of the fall and spring semesters. In keeping
with that trend, Tufts and other universities have seen a surge in phishing attempts over the past few days. University Information Technology (UIT) would like to take this opportunity to remind the community to be vigilant. Beware of e-mails and websites
that:
• Ask you to provide personal information such as your Tufts Username or Tufts Password, bank account number, credit card number, PIN, mother's maiden name, or Social Security number.
• Warn that your account will be shut down unless you confirm your user name, password or other personal information.
• Fail to address you by your name using a generic “Dear Webmail User” or “Dear Customer” or use your email address in the salutation.
• Fail to confirm the company does business with you, such as referencing a partial account number.
• Warn that you have been the victim of fraud.
• Have spelling or grammatical errors. It is dangerous to click a link provided in an email and supply personal or account information. UIT does not recommend that you reply to any email
soliciting personal or account information. The vast majority of spam is caught by the university's spam filters. In rare cases where a phishing attempt gets through, you can help protect your
personal information and the university’s data by taking a moment to think before you click. To report suspected spam to UIT’s automated system, forward spam messages to
report-spam tufts edu. You may also visit the UIT website at
http://uit.tufts.edu to view examples of the latest phishing attacks. Thank You Shawn Maloney Shawn Maloney Assistant Director for Outreach Information Technology Services Phone: 617-627-5896 Email: shawn maloney tufts edu |