Recognize and Report Phishing

Did you know most cyber incidents start with a phish?

Phishing emails disguise themselves as harmless messages, but they're dangerous digital piranhas swimming in your inbox. Stay vigilant, spot the signs, and report suspicious emails. 

TIPS FOR SPOTTING A PHISHING ATTEMPT

• A tone that’s urgent or makes you scared​ - "Click this link immediately or your account will be closed."​
• Requests to send personal info​.
• Sender email address 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
• An email you weren't expecting.
• Typos - Bad spelling, bad grammar​.
   

IF YOU RECEIVE A POTENTIAL SCAM

• If you aren’t sure an email is authentic, instead of replying, contact the sender using information you already have (such as their BC email address from the BC Directory).
• Do not reply to the email, or text/call any phone numbers included in the email.
• Do not click on any links in the message.
• In the Gmail web interface, click the three dots in the upper right corner and select, “Report phishing” or “Report spam.” This will train Google’s artificial intelligence to move these messages to your Spam folder.
• If you suspect a message is phishing forward it to phishing@bc.edu.
• If you fell for a scam, contact security@bc.edu.