Student Tribune
Do Not Fall Victim to Scams!
MCC students continue to fall victim to scams based on elaborate, fraudulent
e-mails requesting personal information. Last year, we noted numerous
e-mails that provided detailed instructions on "becoming a Secret
Shopper." The scam sounded like a legitimate job offer with the
opportunity for students to make hundreds of dollars per week. Recently,
students have been receiving job offers for various positions at MCC that do
not exist, as well as requests to enroll in federal pandemic relief through a
counterfeit emergency fund. Some phishing scams even appear to come from
MCC-based e-mail addresses.
They usually ask the receiver to click on a link and then submit personal
data. Other times they spoof someone else’s identity and ask you to reply
with your cell phone number so they can engage you further, ending up
asking you to pay a fee for a check they send to you (which later proves to be
fraudulent) or to purchase gift cards and then scratch off and provide the
numbers on the back.
Never click on a link in an e-mail, purchase any gift cards, deposit
checks, or submit data to any unknown sources. Always verify the email
sender and the legitimacy of the request before responding.
Once you submit personal data to one of these phishing schemes, your
personal information is subject to being stolen and fraudulently used. If
you have fallen victim to any of these scams or have questions regarding any
suspicious messages, please contact Public Safety immediately at
(585)292-2911.
MCC Technology Services is working on rolling out an extra step called MFA
(multi-factor authentication) that you can use to protect your account from
being taken over by scammers. More information will be coming soon.
Rivera, Fabian
Chief of Public Safety
09/27/2021