Phishing Attacks

Phishing Attacks

Identity theft is on the rise as thieves continue to target students, faculty,
staff and alumni at the University.  These thieves send 'phishing' emails
asking for (or in some cases demanding) information such as UNIs, passwords,
bank account numbers and PINs, and other personal information.

Remember:

Columbia University and its affiliates will NEVER ask for your password
in email.

Never!

While LDEO's spam filters are very good at catching and deleting these emails,
they are not perfect.   Protect yourself by keeping the following points in
mind.

-  Financial institutions, such as banks, PayPal and investment firms will
never ask for your account numbers, PINs, passwords or other personal
information in email.

-  If an email directs you to a web page to enter personal information, be
sure you see a 'lock' graphic on your browser's address bar or lower
frame indicating a secure website.

-  When using a credit card to shop online, always look for the "s" in the
http"S" of the URL such as https://www.store.com.  This indicates that the
information you are entering will be secure.  So never enter credit card or
bank information unless you see that "S!"

-  Never click on a link in an email you didn't expect, even if it appears to
come from a friend, without checking.