MCC Daily Tribune

Don't Be a Victim of Phishing Scams

MCC employees continue to fall victim to scams based on elaborate, fraudulent e-mails containing personal or work-related information. Some phishing scams even appear to come from MCC-based e-mail addresses. Others actually originate from gmail addresses, but have an official-looking display name and signature block that purports to be from someone at the college. One popular scam involves an email that looks like it is from a department head, dean, chair etc. They ask you to do a personal favor involving buying gift cards (usually Target, Google Play, Apple, eBay, Walmart, and/or Amazon) and then sending them the activation numbers. They may also ask you to pay a fee for them and they will send you a check (which later proves to be fraudulent).

In other scams they usually ask the receiver to do something like click on a link/attachment, causing a computer virus infection, or click on a link and then submit personal data. Never click on a link in an e-mail, purchase any gift cards, deposit checks, or submit data to any unknown sources.  Always independently verify the email sender and the legitimacy of these requests before responding.  Do not engage with these senders otherwise.

Sometimes they want you to call or text them instead of clicking a link or opening an attachment.  We have had employees lose hundreds of dollars either with gift cards or via Venmo or other cash transfers.  If you receive these emails, use Report Message in the Outlook toolbar to report Phishing and we can block these accounts.

Once you submit personal data to one of these phishing schemes, your personal information is subject to being stolen and fraudulently used.  If you receive an email you are not sure of or have clicked on a link mistakenly, please call Technical Support as soon as possible at 585-292-8324, option 3, Monday through Friday, 8:45am to 4:45pm. If you have fallen victim to any of these scams and bought cards, sent money or had money removed from an account, please contact Public Safety immediately at (585) 292-2911.

Christine Gallion
Communications and Network Services
03/12/2024