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If you receive a suspicious email message, DO NOT click on any links or attachments. Instead, forward the email to phishing@cedarville.edu. The Information Technology staff will determine if the email is legitimate and provide instructions.
Email phishing increasingly targets both home and school email accounts.
A phishing email either requests personal infomation or contains a website link that asks you to verify your personal information, usually by typing in a username and/or password, or credit card, driver's license, or bank account information.
Although the site may look legitimate, even including company logos and slogans, it is still a scam. The perpetrators will steal any information you enter and you may face financial loss and/or identity theft as a result.
Be careful to watch for spoofed email addresses. Students have received mail that appears to be from an @cedarville.edu address. Watch for addresses that claim to come from @cedarville.com or @cedarville.net as these are not legitimate Cedarville addresses.
Also be aware that someone may find your Cedarville email through CU Classifieds. If you have an ad posted on CU Classified, be wary of any suspicious replies. Make sure to confirm the sender's identity before you open any email replies to your posted ad. You can find anyone with an authentic Cedarville account on the Find Person/Phone Directory.
You can also limit your viewing audience when posting ads on Classifeds. Click the [Checkbox] to "Limit to On-Campus Viewing'. Note - no one, not even you, will be able to see your post if you/they are not connected to the campus network.
Protect Yourself - Check out important information from these websites:
Warning! Never give out this kind of information on the web or in response to an unsolicited email request. Always contact any businesses or organizations who request the information before you reply, regardless of your familiarity with them.
Other email scams run the gamut from silly to serious. One common version is "forward this email to 10 people and receive a free ____ giftcard." You are more likely to annoy your friends by forwarding this email hoax than to win a prize.
Additional information is available on identifying email hoaxes and urban legends.
Some scams can result in serious financial consequences. Refer to http://www.antiphishing.org for more information and up-to-date specifics on email fraud.