U-M hit by email scams to collect personal information

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More than 150 people at the University of Michigan have fallen victim to phishing emails, and revealed personal information such as names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, UMICH passwords, and more this week.

Scammers are setting up fake Google Forms and sending phishing emails that link to the forms. Information and Technology Services is taking steps to deal with the attacks including working with victims, and taking down the fake Google Forms as they are discovered.

The U-M community is strongly advised to be cautious when reading and responding to email, and to be alert to these two scams:

• Internal Revenue Service Information Validation — These emails, which appear to come from the IRS, ask people to validate personal information, such as a Social Security number, by entering it into a Google Form. The information is being collected by criminals. (IRS scam example)

• Academic Publishing — These emails, which appear to come from real faculty at other institutions, ask U-M faculty to share articles by clicking links that require a login to get to online copies of the articles. The login page is a fake that steals the faculty member’s uniqname and UMICH password. (Academic publishing scam example)

What to do

• Before clicking any link in email, hover over it with your mouse to help you see where it is really going. See What to Watch for: Phishing Examples.

• Do not enter private personal information in Google Forms.

• If you suspect you’ve been caught by one of these scams, change your UMICH password and contact the ITS Service Center to let workers there know your account may have been compromised.

• Learn more about phishing at Spam, Phishing, and Suspicious Email.

• Refer to Safe Computing for updates.

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Comments

  1. Gross Gabriela
    on September 30, 2015 at 11:03 am

    I just received this phishing email :

    Dear Gabriela,

    You recently visited University of Michigan, and we need your feedback. Please take a few minutes to answer a brief survey and share your thoughts about your recent visit with your provider. Your input will help us to understand what we do well and what we can do better. If you have received this email regarding a child’s visit, please complete the survey on his or her behalf.

    To ensure confidentiality, this survey is administered by an independent third-party, Press Ganey Associates, Inc. Your participation will help us to improve the quality of care that we provide to you, your family, friends, and neighbors.

    Click here to begin your survey.

    Thank you for your feedback.

    Sincerely,

    Jeanne D. Rizzo
    Executive Director
    Ambulatory Care Services Connie Standiford
    Executive Medical Director
    Ambulatory Care Services
    If clicking the above link does not take you to the survey or a verification screen, please go to https://esurvey.pressganey.com and enter the following PIN: t5h9j9p5rf6n6n5d

    This is an unmonitored email box, please do not reply to this email. If you have specific questions for your healthcare provider, please contact them directly.

    To unsubscribe from future Press Ganey online patient satisfaction survey notices, click here.

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