Phishing Awareness Resources

How to Avoid a Phishing Scam

Be cautious about opening attachments or clicking on links in emails. Even your friend or family members' accounts could be hacked. Files and links can contain malware that can weaken your computer's security. 

Do your own typing. If a company or organization you know sends you a link or phone number, don't click. Use your favorite search engine to look up the website or phone number yourself. Even though a link or phone number in an email may look like the real deal, scammers can hide the true destination. 

Make the call if you're not sure. Do not respond to any emails that request personal or financial information. Phishers use pressure tactics and prey on fear. If you think a company, friend or family member really does need personal information from you, pick up the phone and call them yourself using the number on their website or in your address book, not the one in the email.

Never Give Out Personal Information. As a general rule, you should never share personal or financially sensitive information over the Internet. This rule spans all the way back to the days of America Online, when users had to be warned constantly due to the success of early phishing scams. Never send an email with sensitive information to anyone. Make it a habit to check the address of the website. A secure website always starts with "https".

How to Report a Phishing Scam

Please visit the following link to learn how to report Phishing emails through OWA, or the Outlook desktop application. Need to report a Phishing email? Follow this link! Report Phishing

Additional Resources

Phishing Scams (Federal Trade Commission)

Avoiding Phishing (US-Computer Emergency Readiness Team)

Using Caution with Email Attachments (US-Computer Emergency Readiness Team)

How to Recognize Phishing (Microsoft)

Protect Yourself from Phishing (Microsoft)

Spam and Phishing (Stay Safe Online)