October is National CyberSecurity Awareness Month

Each week a different area of cybersecurity will be highlighted and different tips
will be given to keep you, your computer, your data, and your identity safer.

Can you identify the phishing scams?

Join us on the Haley Center concourse on Wed. Oct. 24 anytime between 8:30 am - 1:00 pm for
FREE CyberSecurity month t-shirts, FREE soft drinks, FREE handouts and checklists on how to keep a laptop and/or home computer safe and secure, and FREE consultation with campus IT experts on CyberSecurity.

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What are phishing scams & how can I avoid them?

Phishing Explained

Phishing scams are typically fraudulent e-mail messages appearing to come from legitimate enterprises (e.g., your bank, your Internet Service Provider, E-bay, PayPal). These messages usually direct you to a spoofed web site and ask you for private information (e.g., password, credit card, or other account updates). The perpetrators then use this private information to commit identity theft.

An example of a phishing attempt is an e-mail message stating that you are receiving it due to fraudulent activity on your account, and asking you to "click here" to verify your information. For more examples, see:

How to avoid them

To avoid phishing scams, never click the links provided within these types of e-mail messages. If you feel the message may be legitimate, go directly to the company's web site by typing it in your browser or contact the company to see if you really do need to take the action described in the e-mail message. Delete the e-mail message from your Inbox, and then empty it from the deleted items folder to avoid accidentally accessing the web sites it points to.

Can you spot a phishing e-mail? Take this short quiz to find out.

Links and References

For avoidance tips, more info and examples try these sites:

• http://www.antiphishing.org/
• http://www.scambusters.org/
• How Not to Get Hooked by a ‘Phishing’ Scam

Reporting phishing attempts

You can report these phishing scam attempts to the company that's being spoofed.

• Help AU's e-mail phishing filter work better by forwarding fraudulent e-mails to: phishing@ciphertrust.com.
  
  
• Send reports to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at: https://rn.ftc.gov/pls/dod/wsolcq$.startup?Z_ORG_CODE=PU01
  
  
• Send details to the Anti-Phishing Working Group, which is building a database of common scams to which you can refer: http://www.antiphishing.org/report_phishing.html

Check back next week for tips on keeping safe when going Wireless!

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Special thanks to Indiana University for use of the theme, images, and content.