Woman working at laptop

Have We Got a Deal for You!

You may have noticed a rise in phishing emails in recent weeks. Here are tips from the Office of Information Technology to help spot phishing emails and avoid falling victim to scams.

If it’s too good to be true …

It probably is. Students should be aware of false job offers and internships. Official employment communication will be sent through the UA Career Center and Handshake. 

Look at the “from” email address in a message. A female student looks at her computer while sitting on the Quad. Her dog is next to her.

All official UA emails will be delivered from a @ua.edu email address. Make sure you know who the recipient is before opening a message or replying with information.

Hover before you click. 

Hover over links in emails to see where a link is taking you before you go. Secure web pages should have “https” at the beginning of a link. Also — official UA emails will link to a ua.edu web address.

Beware of urgent or threatening language. 

Do not trust emails that say “your account has been suspended” or “your storage is full.” Scammers use language like this to get your attention.

Secure your computer. 

Many people are using personal computers for work. Make sure your computer is secure by updating to the latest operating system. Also — make sure you have antivirus software installed. OIT offers McAfee for free for students, faculty and staff.

Use different passwords for different accounts.
Use a different password for every online account to protect each account. Use LastPass to keep up with your many passwords.

Learn additional cybersecurity tips on the OIT website.

When is the next test of the UA Alert System?

Weather permitting the University will test its emergency notification systems, including UA Alerts, the public address system and digital signage Wednesday, May 6, at 11:55 a.m.