E-mail spoofing is on the rise. Here is what to look for and how to defend against it.

Dear Students, Faculty, and Staff:

With the implementation of campus-wide Multi-Factor Authentication, we have seen a significant reduction in compromised internal accounts. However, this has meant an increase in external “spoofing” e-mails as attackers continue to look for ways to conduct scams. The best way to defend against this is to know what to look for and to stay vigilant. Here are some tips to help prevent your account from being compromised.

What is e-mail spoofing?

E-mail spoofing is a technique used in spam and phishing attacks to trick users into thinking a message came from a person or entity they know or trust. This can be accomplished in many ways including copying the format used for a legitimate website or e-mail, creating an e-mail address/domain that looks similar or forging the name/e-mail address of someone you know.

In this case, most of the spoofing e-mails targeting our campus copy a name they find on the Seattle University website and then use it to change the name of a Gmail account they have taken over. This does not mean that the SU account has been hacked. Common examples of scams from these types of spoofing e-mails are selling expensive items at a deep discount or asking for a favor because they are in a meeting and are unavailable for a phone call.

What do I do if I receive one of these e-mails?

Before responding, please make a note of the e-mail address that the message is coming from. On mobile apps, often only the Display Name is shown (which can be forged), so you might need to tap the area around where the “from” name is located to expand the details.

Please report the original scam e-mail using the “Report Message” button and select “phishing.” More details can be found here: Reporting Phishing. Using this feature sends a copy of the e-mail directly to the Security Team. We prioritize phishing which is spoofing SU accounts.

You do not need to forward the e-mail directly to ITS staff or report any replies you send from your account.

Please contact the Service Desk if you or someone else has given any potentially sensitive or financial information to the scammer.