As part of National Cybersecurity Awareness Month (NCSAM), Campus Technology Services (CTS) is focusing this week on Impersonation and job scams. CTS wants to alert you to a growing concern on campus: job scams and impersonation attempts. Malicious actors often use these tactics to gain personal information or access to campus resources.
Impersonation via email and text:
One common method is impersonation. Scammers may send emails or text messages pretending to be university administrators, faculty members or even technical support. These messages often ask for sensitive information, urge immediate action or offer opportunities that seem too good to be true. The goal is to make you believe the message is legitimate, tricking you into divulging personal information or clicking on malicious links.
Job scams: A common example
Job scams are a particularly prevalent form of impersonation. Scammers often create fake job postings to lure unsuspecting individuals into applying. Once you've expressed interest, they may ask for personal information or request that you pay a fee for "processing" your application.
How to protect yourself:
Be cautious of unsolicited emails and texts. If you receive a message asking for personal information, verify the sender's identity before responding by emailing or calling the contact information you trust.
Inspect the From and To fields. Scammers will email from non-SUNY Oswego email addresses and send the same email to multiple recipients at once in the To field or use BCC to hide who else they are sending it to.
You may forward the email/text to help@oswego.edu if you are not sure they are legitimate.
Never click on links or attachments in suspicious emails or texts. These could contain malware or phishing scams.
Hover over all links to see the linked URL address. If the domain (ex: google.com) is not familiar or misspelled, most likely this is a link to a scam.
Text messages may ask to verify your identity, confirm a vendor’s invoice/return or request urgent action for an account or unknown prize.
Look for red flags like grammar mistakes or unknown sender numbers.
Be wary of job offers that seem too good to be true. If you're unsure about a job posting, research the company or contact the HR department directly.
Job offers from SUNY Oswego would never email you from a non-SUNY Oswego email address or other official form of communication.
Job offers would not ask for your financial information or for gift card purchases.
Job offers would never ask you for money especially over things such as Venmo, Zelle or Cashapp.
Never provide personal or financial information to anyone you don't know or trust.
If you provide this information such as your Social Security number or bank details, report it to CTS and contact your financial institution’s fraud department.
Block and report spam numbers to your carrier or messaging app.
Use security features on your phone, such as multi-factor authentication (MFA) and regularly update your apps and OS.
If you believe you may have been the victim of a scam, please report it to CTS immediately by submitting a ticket via email at help@oswego.edu, online at oswego.edu/help or calling (315) 312-3456 during business hours.
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Campus Technology Services
help@oswego.edu | 315.312.3456 | 26 Lanigan Hall