What is phishing?
Phishing is meant to make you think about fishing. Like reeling in a fish, phishers reel you in with scams in order to steal your information. Often times, they will come from an organization you know and trust. These types of emails can even come in from University accounts.
How can I tell if I’m being scammed?
Often times, it can be extremely difficult to detect a scam.
Look for things like common misspellings, random requests to download a file, or to click on a link, or sometimes requests for money.
It’s always a good idea to check the sender’s address as well. If the sender’s address is slightly different from an address you would normally recognize, it’s a good idea to be wary.
If an email raises some suspicion, be sure to read it carefully. Your initial instinct might very well be the correct one.
Check out some examples of email, pop-ups, and more here.
If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
Scams happen all the time. If you do accidentally click a link or reply to a suspicious email–stay calm! It happens to all of us. You can report spam to the University’s Tech Services or you can give us a call/send us an email at ischool-support@illinois.edu.