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Phishing Attacks

Tuesday, March 5, 2024

TO: UMMC Faculty, Staff and Students
FROM:Office of Information Security and Privacy
SUBJECT: Phishing Attacks

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To prevent phishing attacks, please be cautious when opening or responding to any suspicious text messages or emails.

Recently some UMMC staff members received text messages impersonating UMMC executive leaders, which turned out to be a phishing scam after investigation. Unfortunately, phishing scams are common, targeting many large organizations.

If you receive a dubious message, contact the Office of Information Security and Privacy at privacy@umc.edu.

 Indicators of suspicious text messages may include:

• Unusual requests from leadership
• Abnormally long phone numbers
• Unexpected claims of family emergencies
• Scams concerning refunds, reactivation, or winning prizes

If you receive a text message that seems questionable, do not respond to it directly. Instead, validate it is real by reaching out to the sender or your supervisor through a different, reliable method you have used in the past. Do not use the contact information provided in the suspicious message.

For further guidance on recognizing fake text messages, visit the "Text Message Scams: How to Identify a Fake Text Message" resource. You can also access training materials on the Intranet provided by the Office of Information Security and Privacy.

Thank you for your commitment to protecting UMMC from cyber threats.