Latest Phishing Attempts

What

Many higher ed institutions are currently seeing variations of this latest spear phishing attempt. Some of these emails have a brief body that simply asks, "Are you available?" while others have no content but a subject only. Please pay special attention to the sending addresses of such messages and confirm with the sender before taking any action.

Example:
From: [University email address]
Subject: ARE YOU AVAILABLE
Date: December 05, 2018 at 9:37:12 AM MST
To: [Your email address]

Are you available?

How

Attackers use public organizational information to make connections between individuals and attempt to exploit those connections. These generally take the form of a non-Andrews address or a spoofed address appearing to come from an Andrews Univeristy administrator or dean being sent to an employee asking for immediate assistance. The requested task is typically to trick the recipient to purchase of a number of gift cards such as iTunes and Amazon.  The goal is for the recipient to provide the card numbers to the hackers.  The receipient would also have been scammed out of a large amount of money.

Don't Be a Victim

• Always check the actual address of who the email is coming from. Many times scammers will use a similar name, or try and add “Andrews” or "Andrews University" in the address to trick you.
• One important item to look for is what comes after the “@” symbol. Domains listed with @yahoo.com, @aol.com, @gmail.com, or @hotmail.com are not university email domains, and you should exercise caution before responding to these emails.
• If you are using a mobile device, sometimes the actual full sender’s email address does not automatically display. You can check the address by clicking on the “Details” link. This is usually located at the top of the email with the sender, recipient, and date information. All mobile devices and mail apps differ so it’s best to confirm how your application allows you to view message details.
• Contact the ITS Helpdesk if you have questions or concerns about any email you receive.  Email helpdesk@andrews.edu or call 269-471-6016.

Related & Important Information

• The Chronicle of Higher Education | Phishing Scheme Targets Professors' Desire to pLease Their Deans
• Tech Radar | "Are you available for a quick task?" - Keep an eye out....
• Safe Computing @ Andrews University