What is this article about?
Much like your mailbox at home, your email box is accessible to almost anyone attempting to sell you everything at unbelievable prices. The unbelievable part is correct, due to the intention of the sender.
How do I know what to look for?
There have been many fraud attempts sent around the globe in a hope of securing money for the few from the many:
- Anything from South Africa, or any European country is immediately suspect (especially if the email comes from a bank offering you millions of dollars in return for your banking information).
- Anything where the sender asks that when they send you a check for your product (or your part), that you send the remainder to another address. Anything where you send the money first should send up red flags.
- Anything stating that your account is "past due" or some type of "security violation", providing you with a link that will generate a page that looks just like the page you're used to (ie, PayPal, or eBay). This is a collection type operation where they are hoping that you won't notice that you are not on the website you thought you were.
One of the side effects of being in the largest network ever conceived (or beyond many imaginations) is that you are open to more dishonest people as you might in your everyday lives. You must be careful as you move around the Internet, the best practice is to remember "When you are out seeing the Internet, remember, that the Internet is seeing you". A couple of safe tips to help you browse safely:
- If you provide any confidential information, ensure you can see the "Gold Lock" along the bottom of the page (typically to the right).
- If you receive emails with links to sites you know, type the address in your browser just to be safe.
- If you have any questions regarding the validity of a site, assume that it's not right and call the UAA IT Service Center at 907-786-4646.
Some of the current spoofs visiting the UAA network are (but not limited to):
- PayPal account spoofs
- eBay account spoofs
- Bank of America spoofs
- South African Bank spoofs
- FedEx/UPS spoofs
Is there any additional information I should know about?
For additional assistance contact the IT Services Technical Support Center via phone at (907) 786-4646, toll-free at (877) 633-3888, email us at uaa.techsupport@alaska.edu, or visit the Services section to open a support ticket.