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Phishing scam posing as Miami executives

IT Services has received reports that a new scam email has been making the rounds. The sender claims to be a Miami senior executive, such as academic dean or senior administrator. An example of note claims to be from David Seidl, the vice president for information technology and CIO of Miami University. The email asks for the recipient to send the sender their personal phone number.

The information security team has investigated this email. This is a scammer asking people to buy gift cards and send them the codes. Do not respond to this message.

There are several “tells” in this email that indicate a scam:

  • The sender’s email is not from an @MiamiOH.edu address.
  • Part of the sender’s email signature indicates that they are from “Miami University FL,” which, though it could be confused with the University of Miami, is not a real place.
  • There are several grammatical mistakes throughout the email.

Remember: If you receive an email that looks suspicious, it’s better to be safe than sorry—forward the message to InfoSec@MiamiOH.edu, and the information security team will tell you whether it’s legitimate or a fraud.