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Tutorial: Dealing with Suspicious Email
Question: What should I do with this suspicious e-mail?

Answer: Phishing, pronounced "fishing," is a type of online identity theft which employs e-mail and fraudulent websites for the purpose of acquiring sensitive personal data. Typically, phishing is carried out by e-mail, through which a user receives a message claiming to be from a legitimate institution requesting information for a seemingly valid reason. Within the email is a link to a fake website which appears nearly identical to its legitimate counterpart. The information commonly sought through phishing includes: credit card numbers, logins, usernames, passwords, and other personal account data.

Phishing illustration Be aware that legitimate organizations such as IU will never request your passphrase. Please do not respond to any e-mails claiming to be from IU that request your passphrase and username. If you receive any e-mail that seems suspicious, never respond to it or follow any links provided. If you need to update any personal information, do so from a website that is known and trusted.

Additionally, if an offer in an e-mail seems too good to be true, be aware that it is likely a scam. Common scams include the “419” or “advance-fee” fraud, in which the victim is persuaded to advance sums of money in promise for a bigger return. More information on this scam can be found at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advance_fee_fraud.

For more information on the various types of email fraud, please refer to the UITS article “What is email fraud, and what should I do about it?”

If you are still unsure whether the e-mail you are receiving is fraudulent, or for further assistance, please contact the AIT help desk at (812) 855-5924, or by sending an email to: aithelp@indiana.edu.


Last updated: Oct. 2008