Frequently Asked Questions
Phishing
This is a high-tech scam that uses spam or pop-up
messages to deceive consumers into disclosing their card
numbers, bank account information, social security
numbers, passwords, or other personal information.
Phishers send an email or pop-up message that claims to
be from a business or organization that you deal with –
for example, your Internet service provider (ISP), bank,
online payment service, or even a government agency. The
message usually says that you need to “update” or
“validate” your personal information, such as user
names, passwords, credit cards, social security numbers,
and bank accounts.
The email might threaten some dire consequence if you
don’t respond. The email often directs you to visit a
“spoofed” or fake website that looks just like a
legitimate organization’s site, but it isn’t. The
purpose of the bogus site? To trick you into divulging
your personal information so the operators can steal
your identity and run up bills or commit crimes in your
name.
How can I avoid Phishing?
- While online banking and e-commerce is very
safe, as a general rule, you should be careful about
giving out your personal financial information over
the Internet.
- Be suspicious of any email with urgent requests
for personal financial information. The email may
include upsetting or exciting (but false) statements
to get you to react immediately and will ask for
information such as usernames, passwords, credit
card numbers, social security numbers, etc.
- Don't use the links in an email to get to any
web page. Instead, call the company on the
telephone, or log onto the website directly by
typing in the Web address in your browser.
- If you need to update your information online,
use the normal process you've used before, or open a
new browser window and type in the website address
of the legitimate company's account maintenance
page.
- If a website address is unfamiliar, it's
probably not real. Only use the address that you
have used before, or start at your normal homepage.
- Avoid filling out forms in email messages that
ask for personal financial information.
- Always ensure that you're using a secure website
when submitting credit card or other sensitive
information via your Web browser.
- Most companies require you to log in to a secure
site. Look for the lock at the bottom of your
browser and "https" in front of the website address.
- Take note of the header address on the website.
Most legitimate sites will have a relatively short
Internet address that usually depicts the business
name followed by ".com," or possibly ".org." Spoof
sites are more likely to have an excessively long
string of characters in the header, with the
legitimate business name somewhere in the string, or
possibly not at all.
- Regularly log into your online accounts.
- Regularly check your bank, credit and debit card
statements to make sure that there are no
non-authorized transactions. If anything looks
suspicious, contact your bank and all card issuers.
- Ensure that your browser is up-to-date and
security patches have been applied.
- Always report fraudulent or suspicious e-mails.
Reporting instances of spoofed websites will help
get them shut down before they can do any more harm.
- If you have any doubts about an email or
website, contact the legitimate company directly.
Make a copy of the questionable website's URL
address and, send it to the legitimate business to
ask if the request is legitimate.
Phish and Foul
Don’t let Internet thieves hook your personal
information. Beware the pirates who go “phishing” on the
Internet. They want to snag your personal financial
information - hook, line, and sinker.
The newest “phishing” bait may look like a legitimate
message. These thieves are “phishing” for account
numbers, passwords, social security numbers, and other
confidential information that they can use to loot your
checking account or run up bills on your credit cards.
Here are important telephone numbers for different
credit bureau’s fraud division:
Equifax 1-800-525-6285
Experian 1-888-397-3742
TransUnion 1-800-680-7289
Am I at risk??
Many people are unaware they may be vulnerable to
identity theft. Take the
Fraud Risk Test to see how vulnerable you may be.
Hackers are skilled at using emails to entice or alarm
users to visit websites looking almost identical to the
legitimate websites. Take the
MailFrontier Phishing IQ Quiz.
Where can I go to get help with Phishing problems?
OTS is here to answer your questions. Faculty and
staff should contact the OTS Help Center. Students
should contact the SCS Service Desk. Additional
information can be found at:
Information Security Office
Office of Technology Services
Cook Library, 4
Hours: Monday - Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
E-mail:
infosec@towson.edu
Administration and Finance Questions
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