"WEBMAIL" phishing scam targeting NYU community

NYU community members should NEVER REPLY TO ANY email that requests the recipient's email login name and password. Instead, forward phishing messages as an attachment to our email filtering account phishing@nyu.edu. Doing so trains our email filters to prevent such types of spam from arriving into inboxes.

Please note: It is very important to forward the message as an attachment, otherwise our email filters will not be able to parse through the message correctly.

As a reminder of better security practices, always remember that:

• No NYU community member will ever ask for your account password, especially not over email.
• Do not reply back to emails from unidentified, untrusted sources.
• Forward all phishing messages as an attachment to phishing@nyu.edu. This helps train our email filters to block such messages in the future.
• Messages that request personal information over plaintext email should be regarded as being suspicious. If it is spam, forward it to is.spam@nyu.edu. If you are unsure about the legitimacy of a message, contact the ITS Client Services Center at askits@nyu.edu or 212-998-3333.
• If a message informs you of an impending "account closure" unless you comply with its demands, it is often a sign that the message is a phishing scam. Do not comply with its requests.

The following sites also provide several useful tips on defending against these types of phishing attacks:

• SOPHOS Best Practices - Phishing
• ScamWatch.Gov - See a Scam
• ScamWatch.Gov - How to Protect Yourself from a Scam

Example Phishing Message

Dear NYU.EDU mail account user,

We are currently verifying our subscriber's webmail accounts in other to increase the efficiency of our webmail features. During this course you are required to provide the verification desk with the following details so that your account could be verified;

CONFIRM YOUR EMAIL IDENTITY BELOW
Email Username: ....................
EMAIL Password: ....................
Date of Birth: .....................