Original Phishing Message

Note: Various campus members have reported emails impersonating department heads. These emails are NOT legitimate. Do not buy gift cards.

Tips for Detection

• Always check the email address of the sender and note the email address when replying. The display name can be easily manipulated to impersonate somebody you know. Use caution especially on mobile devices since the full email address is generally hidden until you tap to see more info.
• If an email seems suspicious or you don’t know whether somebody is actually trying to contact you, reach out to them via a known means of communication (e.g. their Puget Sound email) or check with the Service Desk.
• Emails similar to this typically result in the scammer asking you to purchase gift cards. Read more about gift card scams on the FTC website: https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/gift-card-scams.

Text of Phishing Message

From: exertcdrt1[@]gmail[.]com
Subject: Task

Good Morning.

Let me know your schedule this morning.

I will be going on a conference call this morning and i will need your help in getting a task done.  

Thanks.