This message was sent to all UW students on October 1:
We want to alert you to a surge in email, text and phone scams aimed at UW students. These scams may promise easy jobs, tuition discounts or other rewards. They may attempt to convince you to purchase gift cards or to send or receive money advances.
Some deceptive offers have been tied to internships, financial aid or tuition payments. Those sent via email can appear to be from UW employees, but are often sent from phony or spoofed email accounts. The scammer may also ask you to provide a cell phone number or non-UW email address in order to contact you via alternative methods.
Such hoaxes are not new but are growing increasingly sophisticated. The current fraudulent activity focuses on money, but your personal data and financial information may also be targeted.
Please review the following tips and resources to help keep your personal information and UW NetID login credentials secure throughout the year:
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- Be suspicious of work-from-home job opportunities that seem too good to be true.
- Beware of requests for transfers of money or gift cards.
- Messages that solicit money, ask for your financial or bank account information, or offer to send you money should be regarded as highly suspicious.
- If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
- Be cautious about clicking links in email, even from someone you know.
- Use strong passwords and protect your UW NetID credentials.
- Report suspected email scams to security@uw.edu
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- If you’ve been a victim of a scam, contact your local law enforcement, such as the UW Police.
Example
Resources
- OIS Scams page
- Phishing at UW online training
- Emotet Malware online training