Be Cyber Smart

Need to Report a Cyber Incident?

 

If you see something, say something. Report suspected and/or actual cybersecurity threats to informIT. Click on the gold Report a Cyber Incident button or click here.  

 

The Information Security Office wants you to know that it takes a village of students, employees, and affiliates to protect university and personal information resources (e.g., data, applications, systems, and devices). ISO is counting on you as a member of the Aggie Cyber Force to do your part to help detect and prevent potential cyber attacks. 

Account Compromises and Financial Scams In 2023 - 2024

59

Student and Employee Compromises

6

Student Fraudulent Transactions

5,050

Fraudulent Transactions ($)

The Phish Market

Phishing is a type of threat scammers use to target the Aggie community.  Scammers send phone, email, and text phish impersonating N.C. A&T employees, N.C. A&T departments, and familiar companies and people you know to entice you from being a click away from engagement, divulging personal information, downloading and installing infectious malware, and/or stealing credentials and money. 

For awareness on the phishing scams caught in Information Technology Services' net or reported by the Aggie Cyber Force,  browse the Phish Market for actual scams and anti-phishing resources. 

Common Communication Methods:

Scammer use these methods to impersonate university staff, departments, or trusted organizations to trick you.

  • Phone
  • Email
  • Text
  • QR Codes

 

Red Flags To Look For:

  1. Unknown/impersonated sender
  2. External email domains (is not from @ncat.edu)
  3. Email has Use Caution. This message is from outside N.C. A&T tag. (applies to employee email only)  
  4. Urgent or emotional language; time sensitive
  5. Request for personal/financial information
  6. You're asked to pay for office supplies, equipment, etc. as part of employment
  7. Emailed fake N.C. A&T checks, asked to buy gifts cards, or pay with digital currency
  8. Unexpected attachments/catchy titles
  9. Untrusted shortened URLs; (hover over link without clicking to see entire URL) 
  10. Mismatched sender/email addresses
  11. Poor writing/misspellings (less common)
  12. Sounds too good to be true
  13. Persistent communication
  14. Text or call a non-university number

  15. Advertising for personal use violates the Acceptable Use Policy (AUP)

     

 

How You Can Be Safe:

  • STOP, LOOK, and THINK before responding.
  • Verify and contact the sender using the N.C. A&T online directory or the company’s website information.
  • Don't contact the sender via the number or email address in the email unless legitimacy has been confirmed. 
  • Enable Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) for all accounts.
  • Report suspicious messages to informIT@ncat.edu.

 

Admin, Research and Intern Scams

File Share Scams

Tools Machinery Scams

Scammers send fake checks that resemble this one with employment scams.  If you're asked to cash or deposit a check to purchase office supplies and pay the difference back, it's a scam.

fraudulent check image

According to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3),  the definition of identity theft is someone stealing and using personal identifying information, like a name or Social Security number, without permission to commit fraud or other crimes and/or (account takeover) a fraudster obtaining account information to perpetrate fraud on existing accounts.  

Scammers are interested in resumes because they contain information such as contact information like names, email addresses, phone numbers, and social network links; employers along with work experiences; education and certifications; and references.

Before you send or upload your resume, do your homework and verify that the recipient is legitimate.   Scammers could attempt the following bad behavior with resume information:  

  • Target you in future scams
  • Befriend you on social networks
  • Pose as/impersonate you
  • Open fraudulent accounts

Scam Awareness Videos