EMAIL SCAM INFORMATION

Important Info Regarding Email Scams

Recently there has been a large number of phishing attempts targeting Wright State University students, faculty, and staff. These attempts appear in the form of an email sent to a university inbox, and tries to get the user to "verify account information" by sending their CAMPUS username and password in an email, or clicking on a link within the email.

CaTS has developed this page to provide you with tips on how to keep your information safe from phishing attempts, and to alert you to any attempts you may see in your inbox. Please take a moment to review the "Points to Remember" section on the right for tips on how to protect your account information. Then, review the examples below showing the many recent scams targeting Wright State. If you receive an email that looks like any of these, do not reply to it or click on any of the links in the message. Also, If you have reviewed the information on this webpage and are still unsure as to the authenticity of an email you have received, please do not hesitate to contact the Help Desk at 775-4827 or 1-888-775-4827, or by email at helpdesk@wright.edu. We will help in any way we can to validate the email you've received.

April 3, 2011

Attention Users of Facebook, Twitter, etc.,
There have been recent reports of targeted email scams aimed at Facebook, Twitter, and other social networking site users. These emails, which claim to be official notices from Facebook, Twitter, etc., have caused a large number of virus and spyware infections on users' computers. Here are some important reminders to help protect yourself from viruses and spyware coming from these fake emails.

Don't click on links in emails claiming to be from Facebook, Twitter or other social networking sites. Instead, go directly to the websites and sign in to see if there is any content waiting for you.
Be cautious about using a link that utilizes a shortcut rather than the complete URL.
Do not open attachments from emails that come from social networking sites. These are often Trojan viruses or spyware.
If someone follows you on Twitter and you don't know them, don't click on links in their tweets.
Don't "friend" or follow people you don't know.

We also encourage you to check out the Do IT Wright website, located at http://www.wright.edu/security/itwright/ for more security tips and information.

April 2, 2011

Please read the following message carefully. It's a scam attempting to obtain your contact or financial information, asking you to be a person the soldier can confide in. If you receive this email, delete it immediately and do not respond. If you have any questions concerning this scam, contact the CaTS Help Desk at (937)775-4827. The text of the scam is shown below.

Hey,
I am Scott Wilson,of the U.S Army. I am on the move to Afghanistan from Iraq and i have some items I will need to ship to you.I really need some one i could confide in.Please,can you be trusted?

Best regards,
Sgt.Scott Wilson.

January 22, 2010

Please read the following message carefully. It's a scam attempting to get your information in order to restore your Western Union account. It asks that you download a form (see image of form below), and fill it out with your personal information. If you receive this email, delete it immediately and do not fill out the form. If you have any questions concerning this scam, contact the CaTS Help Desk at 775-4827. The text of the scam is shown below.

Dear Valued Customer,
This is an official notification from Western Union . Your account access has been limited due to a login attempt failure.

To restore your account we have attached a form to this email.Please download the form and follow the instructions on your screen.

NOTE: The form needs to be opened in a modern, javascript enabled, browser (ex: Internet Explorer 8, Firefox 3, Safari 3, Opera 9).

We are continually improving our Web site to better serve you. Be sure to check back with us often as we add exciting new services to meet your financial needs.

If you have questions or need assistance, our customer service team is here to help.

Thank you for using Western Union !

December 23, 2009

Please read the following message carefully, but DO NOT VISIT THE LINK IN THE QUOTED EMAIL. We are simply showing a scam that was recently found circulating in the university email system. The message asks the reader to go to a website in order to view a Christmas card. If you follow the link in the email, you will infect your computer with spyware that could crash your system or steal your personal information. The text of the email is shown below.

Donna has created a Merry Christmas e-card.
Click on the link below to view your card: {LINK REMOVED FOR YOUR PROTECTION}
Your eCard will be available with us for the next 30 days.

If you have received this email and already clicked this link, please contact the Help Desk at 775-4827 for assistance on scanning and removing any spyware from your computer.