Phishing reminder: Be aware, skeptical

January 28, 2019

Tori Tragis

In the wake of several recent phishing campaigns circulating throughout UAF, it’s a great time to remind everyone to be vigilant and on the lookout for phishing attempts.

You can identify a phishing scam by looking for email messages that:

1. Create a sense of urgency.


2. Invoke strong emotions, like greed or fear.


3. Request sensitive data.


4. Contain links that do not appear to match legitimate resources for the organization that is contacting you.

Be a skeptic!

1. Never, ever will the University of Alaska ask you for your passwords.


2. Official University of Alaska email addresses end in @alaska.edu. When you encounter messages from non-UA addresses, be vigilant — it is easy for anyone to get a free @gmail.com account. Be skeptical of any messages appearing to be from a university authority figure having an email address ending in @gmail.com. Follow up with a phone call if the message seems genuine, and report suspicious ones as phishing.

To report phishing in Google Mail:

1. Open the message.


2. Click the three stacked dots that are next to the reply arrow.
   


3. Click "Report phishing."

Reporting phishing emails from your inbox helps Google determine which messages should be flagged as suspicious, and therefore helps protect others. If you get your email through a client, such as on your mobile device, marking the email as “Junk” or “Spam” can also be helpful.

If you clicked on links in a suspicious email, or you are not sure about the validity of an email, report you concerns to the OIT service desk at  https://alaska.edu/oit/get-help/ ,  450-8300 or 800-478-8226.

Thank you! You are the first and best defense against phishing. Please send feedback or questions to ua-phishme@alaska.edu .