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Information
Technology Services (ITS) at Augusta
State University is committed to protecting your on-line privacy,
therefore it is important that you understand our security practices.
We recognize your need for appropriate protection and management
of your personal identifiable information. The following information
is designed to help you protect yourself from fraudulent email
and password capture scams.
ITS will not send you an email asking for your user name, password
or other personal/account information, nor will we ask you to
re-verify or to change personal information which is already
on file without first displaying the existing information. We
will not send emails with "active" content such as
Java, JavaScript, and ActiveX based attachments, or pop-ups.
Fake or spoofed emails will often look legitimate. They may
include references to the university, other trademarks, logos
and links to realistic looking web pages. Never rely on the name
in the "From" field
as this is easily altered.
Spoofed emails often invite you to re-verify account or personal
information and are often initiated by the spoofing party without
any action on your part. Ask yourself the following questions:
- Does the email I just received seem out of place, or is it
a response to a question I posed to a legitimate person I do
business with?
- Does the email create a sense of urgency or have time limits
which I did not expect?
- Does it contain spelling or grammar errors?
- Does it contain offers for prizes or awards not expected?
- Does it contain links to strange web sites, or web sites
whose name and URL as displayed don't match or contain misspellings?
- Does it contain active content such as Java, JavaScript,
ActiveX or any other type of plug in, or ask you to download
a special plug in or viewer?
If the answer to one or more of these questions is "Yes",
then the email may be suspicious. Think of a stranger approaching
you on the street and asking for your username and password.
Treat these potentially fraudulent emails with the same caution.
If you are ever suspicious of any email or communication
you receive, contact the ITS Help Desk at 706-737-1482 to get
assistance on verifying the legitimacy of the email. If the email
is found to be a fraud, the Help Desk will advise you appropriately.
These attempts at compromising your personal identifiable information
will not just be on your work-related emails. You may get these
at home as well. Treat them with the same level of caution and
if you are unsure of why some entity, for example PayPal or your
bank, is asking for you to reply to an email with your information,
contact the entity in your customary manner to seek verification.
Do not use the reply feature of the suspicious email.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is an invaluable resource
for answers to questions related to email fraud (phishing) or
identity theft.
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