The Office of Information Security has identified a trend in which criminals send members of our community account termination emails containing a malicious link. They hope a victim will give their WashU credentials in a Google Form. In this scam, hackers use a legitimate WashU email address to send phishing emails. Victims who click the […]
How this Scam Works Members of the WashU community are receiving fraudulent emails that ask them to divulge their WUSTL Key and credentials in a Google Form. If someone clicks the malicious link in the email, they will be led to a Google Form asking for their WUSTL Key and credentials. Here are some examples […]
The Office of Information Security has identified a trend in which criminals send members of our community a Google Document containing a malicious link, in hopes that a victim may give up their credentials. In this more elaborate scam, hackers posed as Adis Avila, who is not an individual who works at our university, sending […]
How this Scam Works Members of the WashU community are being targeted by criminals using malicious QR codes to steal valuable and personal information. The QR codes targeting WashU credentials lead an unsuspecting victim to a fake WUSTL Key login page. If the victim enters any information on the malicious login page, they will unknowingly […]
How this Scam Works Members of the WashU community are receiving fraudulent shared document emails that ask them to divulge their WUSTL Key and credentials in a Google Form. Victims receive a fraudulent email about a shared document from an email address outside of WashU: When a victim clicks the link in the email, they […]
The Office of Information Security observes a trend in which criminals send a fraudulent order confirmation claiming the recipient will be charged almost $500. The criminals hope victims will call a phone number to refute the “purchase” and disclose their banking information. If you see a message like the one below, please do not interact […]
The Office of Information Security observes a trend in which criminals use a compromised email account to trick victims into divulging their WUSTL Key password. In this scam, criminals took over a legitimate email address from UT Health San Antonio and used it to send phishing emails. Victims who click on the phishing link are […]
The Office of Information Security observes a trend in which criminals impersonate the sheriff’s office over the telephone. These scammers claim you signed for a subpoena, are an expert witness, or are a juror and never showed up for court and then demand payment. Along with a false accusation, scammers may list your personal information […]
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is warning the public of a widespread fraud scheme where scammers impersonate DEA agents to extort money or steal personally identifiable information. DEA personnel will never contact members of the public to demand payment or sensitive information. No legitimate federal law enforcement officer will request cash or gift cards from […]
The Office of Information Security has observed a trend in which criminals impersonate Chancellor Andrew Martin over text message. Impersonation is one of the most effective social engineering tactics used by scammers, and it can be particularly powerful when the person being impersonated is in a position of authority. If you see a message like […]
How this scam works WashU students are reporting they are receiving fraudulent job offers promising hundreds of dollars per week. The scammer will often ask you to move the conversation to some different, non-WashU messaging platform, like text, before requesting sensitive information like social security numbers, bank account information, etc. What you should do If […]
The Office of Information Security has observed a trend in which criminals send a fake error message on a website, saying there is a virus on your computer. These fake error messages aim to scare you into calling their “technical support hotline,” and they will likely ask you to install applications that give them remote […]
The Office of Information Security observes a trend in which criminals send an email impersonating a Professor of Mathematics, hoping that victims will share their phone number and eventually purchase gift cards for them. If you see a message like the one below, please do not interact with the sender or phone number, and do […]
The Office of Information Security observes a trend in which criminals send a convincing fraudulent PayPal invoice, hoping that victims will click a malicious link. If you see a message like the one below, please do not interact with the sender or phone number, and do not follow any special instructions. Simply report the email […]
The Office of Information Security observes a trend in which criminals send fraudulent job requests, hoping that victims will click a malicious link. If you see a message like the one below, please do not interact with the sender or phone number, and don’t follow any special instructions. Simply report the email using the Phish Alert […]
The Office of Information Security has observed a trend where criminals send fraudulent delivery notifications in hopes that victims will scan a QR code. If you see a message like the one below, please do not interact with the sender and do not follow any special instructions. Simply report the email using the Phish Alert […]
The Office of Information Security has observed a trend where criminals send fraudulent job requests in hopes that victims will text a phone number with their personal information. If you see a message like the one below, please do not interact with the sender, phone number, or follow any special instructions. Simply report the email […]
The Office of Information Security received a reported phishing message claiming to be from Washington University and threatening to terminate user accounts. This malicious email asks the user to cut and paste a URL into their browser. This phishing website prompts for a WUSTLKey username, password, and phone number. Unsuspecting victims who type their credentials […]
The Office of Information Security has observed a trend where criminals send fraudulent password expiration notices in hopes that victims will disclose their WUSTL Key on a fake login page. If you see a message like the one below, please do not interact with any links or follow any special instructions regarding authentication methods. Simply […]
As school begins on campuses nationwide, criminals turn their attention to scams targeting students who are busy preparing for the upcoming semester. Criminals frequently rely on timely topics and strategies to exploit their victims. Below, you will find examples of real scam emails reported to our team within the last month. As we all gear […]
The Office of Information Security has observed a trend where criminals are sending fraudulent invoices to unsuspecting victims in hopes that they will be paid without the recipient noting that they are part of a scam. The tricky part of this particular scam is that the invoices are actually generated by payment handlers like PayPal. […]
This month’s scam is a recent and widespread phishing attack that attempted to use social engineering and impersonation to gain account access. If you see a message like the one below, please report it immediately using the Phish Alert Button (PAB) in your Outlook interface. You can find more information about the PAB and alternative […]
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A recent SMiShing scam targeted our institution by impersonating Chancellor Martin and asking recipients for gift cards. You can rest assured that the chancellor (or your supervisor) will not reach out to ask for gift cards. SMiShing is a type of attack that uses the social engineering tactics commonly associated with email phishing via text […]
This month’s scam is a recent and widespread phishing attack that attempted to use social engineering and impersonation to gain account access. This one is particularly tricky, but it uses a very common set of steps that criminals deploy to steal account credentials. The user receives the suspicious email, in this case from an ‘@wustl’ […]
This month, we’re focusing on a particularly tricky scam. This one isn’t tricky because it’s complex on its surface; it actually relies on simplicity and brevity to lure in its victims. This scam mimics an important notification to trick recipients into handing over sensitive login information. It contains many hallmarks of a typical phish, but […]
This month, we’re focusing on another scam that preys on your emotions and altruistic intentions. This time, it involves cybercriminals taking advantage of fundraising for Ukraine. In just one week, legitimate fundraising for Ukraine mobilized more than $50 million in cryptocurrency. That kind of success always attracts opportunists who want their cut. This time, they’re […]
Attackers are using criminal Gmail accounts to target members of our institution with a phishing scam that involves requesting the recipient call a phone number for additional information. The attackers use dozens of Gmail accounts, using each account to target only one or a few users and modifying minor details to avoid detection. As a […]
The Office of Information Security has received reports of a SMiShing campaign targeting people at our institution. SMiShing occurs when cybercriminals use tactics common to phishing campaigns in text messages, attempting to communicate legitimacy to their unsuspecting victim. The reported scam (pictured below) is a text-based version of a common and long-running scam that is […]
Security researchers are warning of an uptick in phishing attacks targeting universities themed around COVID, Omicron, and testing information. These attackers seek to steal valuable information and often have the goal of tricking users into handing over their university (or other) log-in credentials. Below, you will find an example of a phishing message using Omicron […]
The Information Security Office recently became aware of the reemergence of a malware distribution network previously taken down by law enforcement. This phishing email may look like a reply from a previous familiar email chain. This malicious phishing email uses three types of email attachments to install malware. These attachments include: Microsoft Excel spreadsheets Microsoft […]
Members of the WashU community are receiving phishing emails impersonating university leadership, including Chancellor Martin and Dean Perlmutter. These messages request changes to direct deposit information due to suspicious activity. Phishing scams often impersonate people in leadership positions to encourage a heightened sense of urgency in the recipient. Additionally, information about leaders is publicly available […]
Bonus Scam of the Month On Father’s Day, 2021, Jaime Bardacke, a licensed clinical social worker in San Fransisco, received a phone call from a man who identified himself as Lt. Timothy Reid of the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office. Initially, Bardacke was not surprised by the call. She had dealt with legal issues involving […]
The Office of Information Security has received reports of a SMiShing campaign targeting students at our institution. SMiShing occurs when cybercriminals use tactics common to phishing campaigns in text messages, attempting to communicate legitimacy to the unsuspecting victim. The reported SMiShing attempt is posted below. The message sender is posing as someone in a position […]
The Office of Information Security has received reports of a SMiShing campaign targeting students at our institution. SMiShing occurs when cybercriminals use tactics common to phishing campaigns in text messages, attempting to communicate legitimacy to the unsuspecting victim. The reported SMiShing attempt is posted below. The message sender is posing as someone in a position […]
Before we get to our Scam of the Month for July, we wanted to take a minute to say thanks to one of our readers who took the time to reach out and provide some additional clues from last month’s column. Here is a link to our post from last month: https://informationsecurity.wustl.edu/scam-of-the-month-june-2021/ Our reader points out […]
In each issue of the newsletter, we will feature, discuss, and dissect a scam that has appeared on our campus. These scams are “real” attempts to infiltrate our systems and/or gain access to sensitive and personal information of individuals in our community. By sharing these examples with our readers, we hope to enhance your awareness […]
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) issued a warning today (Tuesday, March 30, 2021) about an ongoing impersonation scam targeting educational institutions. Faculty, students and staff with email addresses ending in .edu are primary targets for this scam. How this Scam Works This criminal scam attempts to capture personal information from recipients by prompting them to […]
The Office of Information Security received a reported phishing message that contains a dangerous credential phishing scam. This malicious email states that there is a document available in OneDrive, but that the recipient will need to follow a link in the email to sign in and see it. Unsuspecting victims who type their credentials into […]
During the week of October 26, multiple federal agencies notified Washington University of a credible cybersecurity threat to US health care providers. This threat has impacted several hospitals across the country within the last few days, and intelligence officials suggest several hundred more may be targeted in the near future. Washington University has a dedicated […]
The Office of Information Security has identified a phishing threat in which the sender indicates new payroll approvals are required. This is a malicious email attempting to get users to follow a link to a fake login portal. Any user information that is entered in this fake portal will be captured by the criminals as […]