every year, Phishing tricks They are becoming more common, putting a person’s security and money at risk if they reveal sensitive information online to a seemingly trustworthy source.
College students are more likely to receive email scams, as universities typically have publicly accessible email domains, according to Pennsylvania State University. Researchers It found more than 5,000 email scams affecting multiple universities from 2014 to 2022, containing themes such as personal requests, payments, and extortion.
Social media scams mentioned Since 2021 it has also led to a total loss of about $2.7 billion.
Bertrand Campeau, NAU professor in the School of Informatics, Computing and Cyber Systems, said hackers are becoming more efficient at tricking people into falling for their scams.
Campo is a leading researcher regarding technological advances to combat cyber attacks. He works with his students to develop cybersecurity prototypes and publish research papers under a grant from the University of California Air Force Research Laboratory. Their long-term research includes developing network communications and protecting the government’s strategic assets.
NAU has attempted to reduce the risk of scams targeting students through enforcement Dual securityA two-factor authentication system for logging into school accounts.
“I know we may not like the Duo authentication app that NAU requires, but it is important,” Campo said. “If you enter your password and they don’t ask you to verify your identity through Duo, you’re likely being phished.”
While Campo’s research does not focus on phishing, he said the risk is widespread as scammers become more sophisticated.
“If you give the hacker your password, stop the connection and call ITS to verify your password,” Campo said. “You know the backline should always be checked.”
NAU IT services ITS provides additional support and resources to NAU students experiencing technical difficulties.
Campo said students are more vulnerable to hackers and phishing scams when they use their phones and computers to make purchases, so it’s important to have a security system.
Aiden Sy is a junior at NAU majoring in computer science. He encountered two fraudulent phishing attempts in November.
The first time, Sy said he received a message on Instagram from someone he hadn’t spoken to since high school.
“He sent me a really vague message saying, ‘I want to forward my old Instagram reset link to you now because it won’t show up on my phone.’ I just want you to copy and paste it. Can you do that for me?” Seay said.
Seay said he did not think he was a scammer because the hacker was using his friend’s account. However, before he decided to help, Seay researched phishing and discovered that this was common to cheat.
In many Phishing tricksthe hacker will send the victim a link impersonating someone the victim knows or an organization they may trust to convince the individual to give up their personal data.
“They can then take over your account and scam other people you follow or who follow you,” See said. “Maybe that’s what they did to my friend here. He fell for it, and now the hacker is scamming people out of his account.
Hackers often Impersonation Companies, such as banks or technology providers, to appear more credible.
For example, Seay said he received an email from Apple in late November claiming there was unusual activity within his account. The message asked Seay to verify his identity by clicking on the link provided within 24 hours.
The first sign that an email might be a scam is a time limit, which can be used to force someone to respond to a scam quickly without stopping to question its authenticity, Seay said.
last Signs Email phishing scams include links or attachments, grammatical errors, unknown email addresses, and a false sense of security.
NAU sophomore Faith Rodriguez, a journalism major, encountered a phishing scam on social media.
Rodriguez volunteered this year for Arizona Association of Student Councils, a student leadership organization, at its summer camp. After camp ended, a camp member sent her a message on Instagram asking for $200.
“Her account was hacked over the summer, but at first I thought it was her,” Rodriguez said. “I really love helping people, and I felt bad for her, but I told her I couldn’t afford to send her that kind of money.”
The account asked Rodriguez for her phone number, although Rodriguez said the camper already had her contact information. She said she decided to give her number away, not wanting to be rude.
The hacker then accessed Rodriguez’s account information and sent a fake code to Rodriguez to restore the account.
After informing Instagram of the hack, Rodriguez said that the app’s team restored her account within 24 hours.
“It’s a gut instinct I have of wanting to take care of others or help others in need,” Rodriguez said. “This made me vulnerable.”
Riana Kahle, a photography expert and freelance photographer, said she is no stranger to phishing scams.
“I had a guy claiming to be a coach reach out to me, saying he had a couple of graduating seniors who needed senior photos,” Kahle said. “Everything seemed legitimate until the time came when he paid for my session.”
Kahli usually asks her clients to sign a contract that covers copyright issues and payment methods. In this case, the coach claimed to have signed the contract, but the confirmation email was delayed.
He then attempted to pay for the session via email check, a payment method that Kahli had not specified in her contract.
She went back to his Instagram account and noticed that all the photos on his page were posted the day before his first message. Kahle said she then cut off contact with him, as she felt he was trying to deceive her.
After further researching phishing scams, Kahley said scams like the one she encountered are common in Photo community.
“You have to assume the worst, which is bad,” Kahley said. “But now hackers have made their scams look so legitimate that, as common as they are, you can’t assume it won’t happen to you because it’s probably already happened.”
For more information about phishing scams, visit NAU’s Its web page.
College students are increasingly at risk of falling victim to phishing scams, as cyber criminals become more sophisticated in their tactics. Phishing scams, which involve luring individuals into providing personal information or clicking on malicious links, can result in the theft of sensitive data and financial loss. As students rely more on digital platforms for academics, socializing, and financial transactions, they are becoming more vulnerable to these deceptive schemes. It is important for college students to be aware of the risks and take necessary precautions to protect themselves from falling prey to phishing scams.