The Office of Cybersecurity has identified hundreds of emails attempting to scam faculty. The goal of these emails is for the scammer to build trust with the victim over time for the purpose of financial gain. Learn what these scams look like and what to do if you are the victim of one.
Scams
2/23 Phishing alert: Subject line “Watchtower Notification: Potential Exposure Detected”
We received reports about a impersonation phish concerning Watchtower, a service by 1Password. The phish pretends that an item in your 1Password account has been breached and encourages you to click a fake Watchtower link for more information.
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.
Avoid 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.
Is 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.
4/22 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.
4/8 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.
3/18 Phishing alert: Subject line “Announcement of 16.9% Salary Increase for University Staff”
We have recently identified a Zoom phishing scam targeting UW–Madison employees. The phish is a scam email purporting to be a Zoom meeting invitation. A promised pay raise lures the victim into clicking a link …
3/12 Alert: 2 Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) phishing emails
We have recently identified two phishing email messages that are targeting UW–Madison. Both prey on the fear, uncertainty and doubt concerning potential interactions with federal agencies, asking that readers click a risky link where they can “verify” personal information.
3/7 Alert: 2 phishing emails aimed at UW–Madison employees
We have recently identified two phishing scams that are targeting UW–Madison. The first is a scam Zoom invitation that results in the victim downloading ScreenConnect software, while the second scam is health related and takes the recipient to an external website where they are asked to enter their personal information.