A new semester always brings a rise in phishing.
Phishing comes in many forms — like email, text, shared Google Docs or even calendar invites. Scammers often try to trick you into clicking links that download harmful software or send you to a fake website to steal your personal information or sensitive university data.
Common scams that target our campus community include:
- University account issues
- Payroll and pension review scams
- Student job offers
To avoid these and other phishing scams, keep the following tips in mind:
1. Be Suspicious
- Be wary of anyone asking for your contact, financial or login information.
- Always verify the sender’s email address, even if it seems familiar.
- Assume that any threat or request for money is a scam. Do not respond or send payment.
2. Take Your Time
- Hover over links — or carefully press and hold on a mobile device — to see where they point. If the destination is unclear, it may be a scam.
- Before you log in to an NC State Shibboleth page, check the URL. It should always start with shib.ncsu.edu.
- Keep an eye out for an unusual sense of urgency, offers that are too good to be true and unexpected messages.
3. Ask for Help
Protect yourself and the university community by reporting any suspected phishing. Use one of these methods to report it directly to the Office of Information Technology’s Cybersecurity Operations team:
- Use Gmail’s built-in reporting feature:
- On a computer, open the suspicious email.
- Click the More option (three vertical dots) at the top-right corner.
- Select Report phishing.
- Send suspicious emails to phishing@ncsu.edu.
For additional support, contact the NC State Help Desk via the NC State IT Service Portal or call 919.515.HELP (4357). For monthly tips to help you stay safe online, subscribe to OIT News.
- Categories:
