We live our lives online. Internet use is such a large part of our daily routine that it’s easy to forget the risks involved. Increasingly, online scams target our UGA community, and victims falling prey to these scams could lose hundreds or thousands of dollars.
A common scam tactic involves criminals offering an opportunity that is “too good to be true.” Recent examples experienced by our community include emails offering high-paying jobs for very little work, emails suggesting recipients must take immediate action to access funds available from the University, social media posts offering UGA parking permits from a private party on platforms such as GroupMe, and phone calls promising to help avoid court sanctions or criminal arrest by paying a fee without going to court. Scammers will often contact people they don’t know via phone, email, or social media, offer them something they didn’t ask for, and demand payment quickly through difficult-to-track sources, such as gift cards.
In addition to these scams, direct deposit fraud and ransomware attacks are becoming more common. Ransomware is a type of malware that locks up files on your device, rendering them unusable until a ransom is paid. Direct deposit fraud happens when a cybercriminal hacks into a UGA account and changes the associated bank account information so that paychecks or student account refunds are sent to the criminal instead of the rightful owner.
In general, following the guidelines below will significantly decrease your chances of falling prey to similar scam attempts:
- ALWAYS exercise caution if an opportunity seems too good to be true—it quite likely is.
- ALWAYS be willing to ask for more information regarding a questionable offer.
- ALWAYS be cautious with email attachments and links. Do not open attachments or click on links from unknown or unexpected sources.
- ALWAYS use strong, unique passwords and UGA’s multi-factor authentication (MFA), ArchPass. Please ensure that any pushes or approvals through ArchPass were originated by you. Likewise, never enter an ArchPass code along with your username (MyID) and password after clicking a suspicious link. If you would like to update your MyID password, click here.
- ALWAYS verify the legitimacy of any request for money that comes from an unexpected source.
- ALWAYS rely on proven and traceable methods of payment that offer built-in protections against fraud.
- NEVER agree to pay for a service or product via gift cards or other similarly anonymous payment methods.
- NEVER agree to pay a ransom to cybercriminals without first consulting appropriate authorities including law enforcement and, in the case of university owned computers, EITS or your departmental IT support.
- NEVER provide personal information, credentials, bank account information, login names, passwords, photographs, or other identifying information via email or social media.
- ALWAYS pay for institutional parking permits or fines via a trusted University or government website or in person at a University or government office.
- ALWAYS be prepared to contact local law enforcement to report suspicious or criminal activity.
If you suspect you have been the victim of such a scam, please contact the UGA Police Department at 706-542-2200 for assistance. If you are unsure whether the source of an email you have received is legitimate, forward the email to abuse@uga.edu and request an assessment, or contact the EITS Help Desk at 706-542-3106.