As if we didn’t have enough to worry about with the pandemic, scammers are taking advantage of COVID-related anxieties and fears and using them to target unsuspecting people. Reports have come in from all over the country of people receiving emails from hackers posing as the IRS, health departments, charitable organizations helping COVID patients, and fake PPE and test kit sellers. In fact, one of the biggest scams this year? Puppy sales and adoptions.
Yes, it’s that serious.
This doesn’t mean you can’t protect yourself, though. Here’s how you can avoid the latest phishing scams (and actually bring home that furry friend):
Checking your WCM email? Use Phish Alarm!
At the height of the pandemic in NYC, ITS released some tips to identify spam emails, like spelling and grammar errors, suspicious sender addresses, and any requests for your personal information. However, we do know that lots of phishing attempts look very convincing and people aren’t always sure if a message is legitimate.
Thankfully, all WCM email accounts come with a new tool called Phish Alarm, which allows you to instantly report any message to ITS Security with the click of a button to confirm its authenticity. Phish Alarm is available on desktop, online, and mobile app versions of Outlook:
More info on phishing at WCM is available at phish.weill.cornell.edu.
Protect your personal email, too!
The same rules for identifying spam email apply to personal accounts as well. However, it helps to ensure that all of your software is up-to-date so your apps and operating system are running the latest security settings. You should also set up multi-factor authentication for any of your important accounts (e.g., banking apps) that allow it, and always back up your data. If you ever think you’ve accidentally provided confidential data to a phishing scammer, visit identitytheft.gov and follow the steps to begin securing your information.
October is National Cybersecurity Awareness Month, an annual collaborative effort between government and industry to ensure we have the resources you need to maintain your security online. Throughout October, we’ll be sending you tips on protecting your information and avoiding malicious attempts to extract your personal data. See our past tips here.