9/19/2024: ITS Update - Recognize and Report Phishing

Stay Safe with Three Simple Tips

1. Recognize

Look for these common signs:

• Urgent or emotionally appealing language, especially messages that claim dire consequences for not responding immediately

• Requests to send personal and financial information

• Untrusted shortened URLs

• Email addresses that do not match the supposed sender

• Unexpected attachments

• Incorrect email addresses or links, like amazan.com

A common sign used to be poor grammar or misspellings although in the era of artificial intelligence (AI) some emails will now have perfect grammar and spelling, so look out for the other signs.

2. Resist

If you suspect phishing, resist the temptation to click on links or attachments that seem too good to be true and may be trying to access your personal information.

3. Report

Instead, report the phish to protect yourself and others by forwarding the email to phishing@fairfield.edu or by calling the ITS Help Desk at (203) 254-4069. You can also report via the “Report Suspicious” button.

Don’t reply or click on any attachment or link, including any unsubscribe link. Remember that by clicking on unsubscribe you’re letting the sender know they successfully reached you.