With the start of the new semester, job scams are on the rise. Scammers lure you with the promise of high pay and easy work to trick you into clicking links and sending your personal information. Learn how to recognize and report phishing.
Scam alert messages
Beware of these scams!
Beware of scams involving job offers, fake checks
Job scams like this one are on the rise: You respond to an email job offer. Your “employer” sends you a (fraudulent) check that’s too much money, with instructions about how to send back the difference. Take these steps to protect yourself.
September 3, 2025Avoid Workday phishing scams
Now that Workday is here, we expect to be targeted by phishing attacks. We are counting on you to help keep UW secure by detecting and reporting phishing attempts. Brush up on some reminders to help you identify red flags.
July 9, 2025Is that text message real—or is it smishing?
“Smishing” is a version of phishing, but the message arrives via text instead of email. Find out how you can protect yourself.
June 27, 20254/22 Phishing alert: subject line “URGENT: All Staff Meeting Invitation”
Another Zoom phishing scam targeting UW–Madison: The email resembles an invitation to a meeting with the chancellor. Learn how to protect yourself from this and similar phishing attempts.
April 22, 20254/8 Phishing alert: Subject line “Subject: University of Wisconsin–Madison.Act Now”
We have recently identified a phishing scam targeting UW–Madison account holders. This scam email purports to be a message from IT warning users that their account is about to be deactivated due to retirement, graduation or transfer. The scammer's intent is to fool recipients into clicking a link and entering their personal data into a Google form.
April 9, 2025- More Scams posts
Scam email subject lines
UW–Madison staff and students periodically receive malicious messages from @wisc.edu senders. This table contains a list of email Subjects associated with recent fake emails and the approximate date they were identified as scams.
If you’ve recently received an email to your @wisc.edu account and are unsure whether it’s real or a scam, you can check it against this table. If you are still unsure whether the message is legitimate, please contact the Help Desk.
Be suspicious!
| Date | Subject |
|---|---|
| 09/22/2025 | Be Part Of It! The opportunity we've been waiting for is finally here. |
| 09/20/2025 | Be Part Of It! The opportunity we've been waiting for is finally here. |
| 09/20/2025 | The opportunity we've been waiting for is finally here |
| 09/20/2025 | Email/Portal Account Deactivation Notice |
| 09/16/2025 | New Remote Job for UW–Madison Students & Staff |
| 09/16/2025 | Important: University Email Verification In Progress |
| 09/16/2025 | See Microsoft Alerts |
| 09/05/2025 | UNICEF CHILDREN DONATION |
| 09/05/2025 | UNICEF DONATION TO HOMELESS |
| 09/05/2025 | UNICEF FOSTER HOMES DONATION |