New Scam Targeting Students
New Scam Targeting Students
It has become a non-stop battle between scammers and security folks. Both working to get the upper hand over the other. The trouble with a lot of email and text phishing messages is that they can look incredibly convincing sometimes. We have especially seen a real uptick recently with SMS scams.
Below, we will highlight one of the most recent ways scammers have been attempting to contact those in the Miami community, so you know what to look out for and how to avoid getting phished.
Student Internship Scams
Scammers can try to reach you through fraudulent work and internship opportunities. Often sent by email, they will send messages claiming that you are eligible for an internship or student employment position. One recent example appeared to be sent from the Office of Career Services and Professional Development at the Regionals, and even used the name of a Miami employee.
Unfortunately, this specific attempt was successful, and a student lost a significant amount of money. Here is a copy of the message:
What Can We Learn
On the surface, this appears to be a well-crafted and organized message, and it is easy to see why it was successful. However, if we dig a little deeper, we can find a couple of flaws.
First, the email that was used was NOT a Miami address. Although it used the name of a real Miami employee, the address used a generic Gmail address.
Second, and this is a little more subtle, but they used Miami University Career Services in the first paragraph. Although they used the correct title below, and even used the correct locations on each campus, the department usually goes by the full title (Career Services and Professional Development) or CSPD.
How to Avoid These Scams
If you receive a suspicious message, it's best to be aware of how to determine if it is legitimate and avoid getting scammed.
The best way to avoid scams is to not click any hyperlinks from suspicious or unknown numbers/senders. Don't trust messages asking for personal information, especially if they seem to come from legitimate organizations. Be aware that companies would not reach out via text or email for urgent matters.
Be cautious of messages pushing urgency and with unusual requests. Strange phrasing, grammatical mistakes, and unnatural details could be signs of an AI scam.
You should also never respond to these messages. For SMS scams, even something like replying "stop" or "wrong number" can let the scammer know that your number is active, putting you at risk for future attacks.
Trust your instincts: If a message feels suspicious, it most likely is. If you receive a message that you suspect to be a phishing message, please forward it to InfoSec@MiamiOH.edu. This allows the information security team to block sites that may be associated with phishing attacks. If you ever feel you may have responded to a fraudulent message or clicked a link in one, please contact IT Help immediately at 513-529-7900.
For more tips about remaining secure online and at Miami, visit MiamiOH.edu/infosec.
