Phishing is a type of social engineering attack often used to steal user data, including login credentials and credit card numbers. It occurs when an attacker, masquerading as a trusted entity, dupes a victim into opening an email, instant message, or text message. The recipient is then tricked into clicking a malicious link, which can lead to the installation of malware, the freezing of the system as part of a ransomware attack or the revealing of sensitive information.

RECOGNIZING A PHISHING ATTEMPT:

Phishing attempts often come from seemingly legitimate sources but usually contain clues that they are not valid like:

• Odd English sentence structure or misspellings.
• A return email address/web link that is not from or to the institution.
• Questions about you that the organization already knows about you like your account name, password, location, etc.

THE PRECAUTIONS ARE SIMPLE:

• If you get an email or pop-up message that asks for personal or financial information, do not reply. And don’t click on the link in the message, either.
• Never reveal personal and confidential information such as credit card numbers, passwords, demographic or geographic information, account information or social security numbers via email.
• Review credit card and bank account statements as soon as you receive them to check for unauthorized charges.
• Be cautious about opening any attachment or downloading any files from emails you receive, regardless of who sent them.
• Never respond to suspected phishing e-mails under any circumstances.

Thousands of such fraudulent messages flood the college's e-mail system every day, but fortunately, STLCC anti-spam defense is at work to reduce the number that arrive in your mailbox. .

WHAT CAN I DO IF I SUSPECT A PHISHING ATTEMPT?

For reporting these type of emails, please use the Phishing Alert Button that is available in your Outlook.