New Phishing Scam Spoofs System Administrator

The University of Arkansas has recently been targeted by a new phishing scam. Several users have reported getting a message with the subject line "Message From System Administator." The e-mail requests “required details" to "upgrade your webmail account" and encourages users to click on a link. Those who have responded to this scam should go to http://passweb.uark.edu and reset their account passwords immediately.

The IT Services Security Team expects that more scams will appear as spring break approaches. It is important that users be aware of the warning signs in fraudulent e-mail. Beware of any e-mail addressed generally; for example, "Dear University of Arkansas webmail user." IT Services will never send e-mail threatening to delete one's account for any reason, unless the user is no longer affiliated with the university and the account must be purged. The Security Team also warns against e-mail that requests users to click on a link within the e-mail or reply with password or other personal information.

Legitimate e-mail from IT Services includes contact information for the Help Desk so users can call to verify or report suspicious-looking messages. The Help Desk can be contacted at 575-2905 or helpdesk@uark.edu.

For more information on this phishing scam and other security concerns on campus, go to the Security Team’s News and Update Notifications Tech Article at http://techarticles.uark.edu/article.php?id=105.