Posted November 9, 2018 by Academic and Institutional Technology
Tags:
Phishing Attempts
Phishing Attempt | your email
Effective Date: November 9, 2018
Some Faculty and Staff have received an email from an unknown criminal informing them that their computer has been compromised and their webcam has been used to record compromising video of them. They are prompted to send payment or the compromising video will be released.
Most often when you get an email and it references a password, it is likely that those credentials were harvested from other security breaches, in an attempt to lend credibility. If you recognize the password, it would be wise to change any account where you used that password in the past.
This email is a phishing attempt. Do not open the attachment or visit the linked website.
Thank you to all who reported this scam.
If you responded to this scam, or entered your login credentials on the linked website please contact us at 630.752.4357 (HELP).
The image above is a screenshot of this phishing attempt. Several things indicate that this email is not what it claims to be:
- The subject and body of the email is poorly worded and contains numerous grammatical errors, as well as inappropriate language.
- The email attempts to provoke a sense of urgency that could override healthy caution.
- The contact information points to being overseas. While this does not always indicate a phishing attempt, it’s still a sign to be more cautious that usual.
Always exercise caution when responding to emails. If you're not sure whether an email is a phishing attempt or not, contact us or call 630.752.4357 (HELP).