Per capita, Alaska is the most-scammed state in the country, according to the state’s Department of Law. There are several circumstances in which you could be the target of phishing emails or scam calls, so please become informed about what security measures you can take to protect yourself from attacks.
Info to Know
For email users, please mark it as spam and delete any messages that are suspicious or mysterious to your email portal.
Do not use your Alaska.edu email for any personal matters.
Do not forward Alaska.edu emails to a personal email, your University email address must be utilized for professional purposes only.
DocuSign and other documents will not be forwarded to a personal address.
Faculty, Graduate Assistants, Adjuncts, and Staff are required to solely use their Alaska.edu emails for all professional correspondence. https://www.alaska.edu/studentservices/staff/University-Email-Account.pdf
Never give a card or bank information over email.
Even if it’s from an Alaska.edu account, please make sure you confirm the individual is a student, donor, colleague, etc.
No one should be asking you to send personal information in any format, especially banking or payment info.
Have a trusted friend or colleague review an email!
Adding contacts on Gmail: https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/tech/gmail-contacts
For phone users, please block and delete numbers that you may receive.
Do not answer any calls that you do not know.
Make sure your voicemail is set up on your phone to take in calls from unknown numbers.
Save any important numbers into your contacts!
Include your doctor’s office, prescriptions, child school, etc., in order to avoid missing important calls.
iPhone Users: https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/add-and-use-contact-information-iph3e0ca2db/ios
Android Users: https://support.google.com/contacts/answer/1069522?hl=en&co=GENIE.Platform%3DAndroid
Never give a card or bank information over the phone.
The only exception to this rule is if you have undergone a verification process with the person on the other line. Call them or text them. Never reply directly.
When reporting a scam call or phishing email, please follow these steps to notify UA OIT. It is IMPERATIVE that you follow these instructions so that our system officers can help prevent these attacks later on.
If you receive a scam email, please forward the email to helpdesk@alaska.edu.
If you wish to start a ticket regarding an email or call, please follow these steps to connect with OIT.
Fill out a Phishing & Scam Ticket to report the account by:
Following this link
Select ‘Report Phishing Attempt’
Fill out the necessary information; please be as detailed as possible.
Ignore the call or email until you receive assistance directly from OIT.
If you see the issue as something on a larger scale and harder to spot, or if you would just like to speak to someone, please click this link and get connected with someone on the team! https://www.alaska.edu/securitymatters/