Did you know most cyber incidents start with a phish?

Phishing scams disguise themselves as ordinary emails, text messages, and phone calls, but they're actually thieves hoping to steal information, access, or money. Keep your eyes wide open, know the signs, and report potential scams. 

TIPS FOR SPOTTING A PHISHING ATTEMPT

  • Email, text, or phone call you weren't expecting.
  • Tone that’s urgent or makes you scared​ - "Click this link immediately or your account will be closed."​
  • Requests to send personal info​ or money.
  • Sender email address or phone number is not an exact match with the company or organization it’s coming from​ like Amazon.com vs. Amaz0n.com​, or bc.edu vs. boston-college.edu.
  • Typos - Bad spelling, bad grammar​. Although, AI generated scams will not have this tell tale sign, so the above tips should be given higher priority when evaluating email and text safety.
     

REPORT SUSPICIOUS EMAILS

  • If you receive an email that looks suspicious—whether it is asking for your credentials, offering an unexpected job opportunity, or creating a false sense of urgency—please forward it immediately to phishing@bc.edu.
  • When you forward messages to phishing@bc.edu, you will receive an AI-generated reply letting you know if the email was malicious or safe. As AI is an experimental tool, you may occasionally receive an incorrect assessment. When in doubt, you can also forward suspicious emails to the IT Security Team at security@bc.edu.

Resources

Spot the Phish Contest

This Cybersecurity Awareness Month, any BC Student, Faculty, or Staff member, who reports a suspicious email to phishing@bc.edu will be entered in a raffle to win an iPad (1 entry per person). When you report a phishing or scam email to phishing@bc.edu, not only are you protecting yourself, but you are also helping BC Information Technology Services to block these malicious messages before they affect other members of the BC community.

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