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E-mail needs to come with a label that says "Caution – Handle with Care" because there are more and more e-mail scams that can cost you money, do major damage to your credit rating, or even make you the victim of identity theft.
Are you getting e-mail saying that your account will be shut down unless you confirm your billing information?
This sort of message is referred to as phishing because the sender is going fishing for your private information. Phishing attacks use spoofed e-mails and fraudulent websites designed to fool recipients into divulging personal financial data such as credit card numbers, account user names and passwords, social security numbers, etc. By hijacking the trusted brands of well-known banks, online retailers and credit card companies, phishers are able to convince up to 5% of recipients to respond to them.
See examples of phishing with Citibank or Citi cards at the citibank website.
For more information on phishing, visit the Anti-Phishing Working Group website or go to the Federal Trade Commission spam webpages.
Are you getting e-mail saying that you could receive a percentage of several million dollars if you posed as a lost relative?
This scam is called the Nigerian Advance Fee or 4-1-9 fraud. It is named after the section of the Nigerian penal code which addresses fraud schemes. The U.S. Department of Commerce estimates that U.S. citizens lose approximately 2 Billion dollars annually to Nigerian fraud schemes.
For more information about Advance Fee Fraud, see Central Bank of Nigeria Useful Information or visit the United States Secret Service website.
Have you received notification that you are a winner in the British Lottery International drawing?
This is another variation of Advance Fee or 4-1-9 fraud (named after after the section of the Nigerian penal code which addresses fraud schemes) described above. See Lottery Scam Warnings for details.
If you have any questions, contact the C&IT Help Desk by e-mail at helpdesk@wayne.edu or phone at 313-577-4778.