Protecting Yourself From Scams & Phishing

Liberty University is committed to fight against scams and phishing to protect the confidentiality of students and faculty. “Phishing” is when another party attempts to trick you into revealing sensitive, personal, or financial information. Examples include account passwords, social security numbers, credit card numbers, or banking information. Join Liberty University in the fight against phishing by learning how to recognize and respond to phishing scams.


Tips to Stay Safe from Phishing & Fraud

  • Never reply to a message that asks for your username and password. No legitimate organization, including Liberty University, should ever ask you for your password or other sensitive information via email.
  • Don’t send personal information, such as social security numbers and credit card numbers via email. Email is as insecure as a postcard; it can be read at any point along the way to its final destination.
  • Don’t click on links in phishing messages. Scam artists can create fake login pages that look legitimate and will steal your log-in information.
  • Report any phishing messages you receive using Outlook.
  • Immediately change your password if you feel that you may have accidentally replied to a phishing message.

Avoid Becoming the Victim

  • Don’t give out personal information in response to uninvited solicitations.
  • Don’t respond to pop-up advertisements or solicitations.
  • Be cautious when signing up for services; always read the terms & conditions.
  • Be skeptical of offers – if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
  • Don’t wire money to individuals you do not know personally.
  • Don’t cash checks for individuals you do not know personally, especially if they give you a check for more than the correct amount and ask you to give them the difference.

Report a Potential Scam

Note: Click here to watch a video on how to report an email.

  1. Did you get a suspicious email? Click the ‘Report Message’ button in Outlook.
  2. From the dropdown menu, select if the email is Phishing or Junk.
  3. That’s it! We’ll handle everything from here. Thanks for doing your part in keeping everybody safe!

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