The second attack is an incoming call from a toll-free number such as (866) 656-7153. (Other toll-free numbers are also used). The caller indicates that a server SSL certificate is about to expire, and asks for credit card and other identifying information to renew the certificate. If you think you may have entered any sensitive information in response to one of those phishing attempts, contact the Albuquerque FBI office at (505) 889-1300.
A phishing attack is an attempt to steal credentials, or personal or financial information, to commit fraud. These attacks frequently use e-mail or web sites that closely imitate real web sites, such as banking sites, but they are in fact, forgeries, designed to allow the attackers to steal your banking credentials, or other sensitive personal or financially information. If you experience a phishing attempt, DO NOT give any information to the caller, and report the incident to ic3.gov. You can also report other types of phishing, such as those that ask for your password in an e-mail, to security@unm.edu and to spamdrop@unm.edu.
Users should never follow untrusted links to web sites, such as those received in unsolicited e-mail or text messages. If you are unsure of a web site's authenticity, you should always type in the address of the web site where you wish to conduct a transaction. You should never open attachments from untrusted sources, or from sources that you know, but from whom you are not expecting an attachment. If you feel you may be the victim of identity theft, visit: UNM Identity Theft.
Story by and media contact: Vanessa Baca (505) 277-0987; e-mail: vjbaca1@unm.edu