Phishing & Other Scams

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Phishing & Other Scams

How to Spot a Phishing Scam

Known Phishing Scams

Did you receive a "phishy" email? Check go.rowan.edu/scams to see if it's a scam we've identified. If not, report it!

The scams criminals use to try to steal your personal information are more sophisticated than ever. Cybercriminals have recently targeted Netflix subscribers and Google Docs users in convincing email schemes that mimic the look and feel of legitimate messages from those services.

That’s why you need to know how to spot a potential scam. Here are some quick tips to guide you:

This is an infographic describing how to spot a phishing scam. Tips for Spotting Phishing Scams  From Field: Stop and ask yourself, do I know the sender? Do I normally communicate with the sender? Is the email from a suspicious domain, like microsoft-support.com?  Subject Line: Stop and ask yourself, does the subject line create a sense of urgency? Does the subject line match the content of the email? Would the sender use this subject line? Attachment: Stop and ask yourself, was I expecting to receive an attachment? Do I normally receive attachments from this sender? What type of file is the attachment? Use of Language: Stop and ask yourself, does the email include obvious spelling and grammatical errors? Does the language in the email seem out of the ordinary for the sender? Hyperlinks: Stop and ask yourself, does the text of the link match the link's destination? Does the link include a misspelling or slightly modified version of a known URL? Sense of Urgency: Stop and ask yourself, am I being asked to click a link or open an attachment to avoid a negative consequence or gain something of value?

If you have questions about a "phishy" email, contact us before you click! You can call us at 856-256-4400 or email support@rowan.edu.

Defending Against Scams

Scams may come in many different forms. The Better Business Bureau offers these 10 steps to avoid scams of all kinds.

Job Offer Scams

Did you receive a job offer that claims to pay good money for a few hours of work? It's likely a scam. Find out more.

Check Deposit Job Scams

Keep an eye out for these scams, which direct you to deposit checks into your personal account as part of a job offer.

Unemployment Fraud

If you receive a notice for unemployment benefits and you have not filed a claim, quickly take these steps to protect yourself.

DEA Calls

Criminals posing as federal agents often target medical professionals with this tactic, threatening penalties for drug law violations. 

Sextortion Scams

These scams demand payment via bitcoin to prevent supposed compromising videos from being released.

Gift Card Scam

As part of this scam, you will be asked to buy gift cards for someone who promises to reimburse you later, but you won't get your money back.