Month: October 2024

Phishers often try to create a sense of urgency to get people to click the link in haste, and that tactic is on full display in this fake HR email. If you receive an email that claims to be from HR, especially one that seems urgent or feels intimidating, first take a few deep breaths, and then look closely at the email to see if there are signs that it’s fake. This one has quite a few red flags:

• The email did not come from UVic (in fact, the phisher appears to be abusing a compromised account at another university). A real UVic HR email would come from a UVic email address.
• The email was sent to hundreds of people, many of whom were not from UVic. That is a strong sign that this is a non-targeted mass phishing email and not a genuine HR notification.
• The greeting is impersonal, there is no signature block, and the email doesn’t specifically mention UVic.
• Hovering over the link will reveal that it does not go to a page from UVic; it actually goes to a page from a free online form builder.

From: [redacted]@********t.edu
To: [redacted] + 397 more
Subject: October 2024 Staff Report and Individual Assessment

You don’t often get email from [redacted]@********t.edu. Learn why this is important.

Assessment Dear Team,
I am pleased to inform you that the HR Department has recently finalized the Staff Report for October 2024.  It is imperative that you treat this matter with urgency.

Attached below, you will find the relevant file that contains your individual Assessment Report. Please open it to access the information

Click Here [link] To View Report

Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter.

Once again, job scammers are impersonating real UVic professors to target students in need of extra funds to pay for tuition and other necessities. This latest batch isn’t as elaborately written as the last one posted here, but still has some of the usual red flags:

• The email came from a Gmail address. If a job offer comes from or tells you to contact an address from a free email provider like Gmail or Outlook.com, it’s extremely likely to be a scam.
• The name of the sender does not match the signature block. Inconsistencies like that can be a sign that something is not right with the email.
• The scammer may be trying to create a false sense of urgency by saying a student is “urgently required” to trick you into replying hastily.
• The salary is too good to be true–$320 per week for only 8 hours of remote work is well above the typical wage for co-op or other student jobs.
• Although there are no glaring grammatical errors, the wording still comes across as stilted and awkward.

If you replied to the scammer, cease contact and reach out to the Computer Help Desk or your department’s IT support person for assistance.

From: P***** C***** <[redacted]@gmail.com>
Subject: Student Job Opening

You don’t often get email from [redacted]@gmail.com. Learn why this is important.

The service of a student is urgently required to work part-time as a student administrative assistant in the Department of Biology and get paid $320 weekly. This is a remote opportunity and work time is 8 hours in a week.
To apply, please submit your resume to the Department of Biology via this email address to proceed.

Sincerely
Dr. ****** B*****
Professor
Department of Biology
Office: CUN ****

Job scams aren’t the only way that scammers try to take advantage of students in financial need–they are also sending out scam emails claiming to offer grant money. In this case, the tantalizing offer of a few thousand dollars that don’t need to be paid back is very likely to be a pretext for a cheque overpayment scam.

Notice how the email says you are supposed to use almost half of the funds for “humanitarian service for a disabled student”. In all likelihood, that means that the scammer will tell you to cash the cheque and then send some of the money to another person or bank account specified by the scammer. A few days after you do that, the cheque will bounce and the money you transferred will effectively come out of your own funds, meaning you’ll have lost a non-trivial amount of money. (Also, the scammer’s math doesn’t add up; $2700 + $2200 = $4900 and that’s more than the amount on the cheque!)

In addition to the above, there are many other red flags:

• The email was not sent from UVic, a provincial government (such as gov.bc.ca), or the federal government (canada.ca or something ending in gc.ca).
• You are told to apply by emailing an Outlook.com email address. If you are told to contact an address from a free email provider, the grant is very likely to be a scam.
• The scammer wants you to reply from your personal email and provide your mobile phone number. Scammers use this tactic to move the conversation away from UVic’s monitoring and security controls.
• The scammer also asks you to email other personal information like your address and where you bank.
• The greeting is impersonal.
• The email contains awkward wording and grammatical errors.
• The signature of “Canada Student Grant” is vague/generic and does not mention UVic or a specific government department.
• While the message looks like normal text, the whole thing is actually an image–that’s a strong sign that the message is not legitimate and the scammer has done that to evade spam filters.

If you replied to this email, cease contact with the scammer and reach out to the Computer Help Desk immediately for assistance.

From: [redacted]@[redacted].net
Subject: Dear Qualified Student

You don’t often get email from [redacted]@[redacted].net. Learn why this is important.

Dear Qualified Student,

Your 2024 Grant has been approved and payment check is ready for immediate disbursement

Take note this is a grant, and you’re not obligated to pay back. We believe this will help students in containing educational fees and personal bills.

The payment will come via Check for MOBILE DEPOSIT, and this is because of theft and loss of pay checks in the mail delivery by Canada Post, UPS/FedEx etc.

The grant board will issue you a check of $4,700.00. However, your approved grant amount is $2,700.00 and $2,200.00 slated for you to carry out a humanitarian service for a disabled student whose details will be sent to you once the grant funds have been made available. This is a general outreach to support students and to also support other disabled/less privileged individuals within the student Community.

Kindly reconfirm the below to begin the immediate claims process.

Full Names:
Mobile Number:
Address (Postal code included)
Specify name of Bank (TD, RBC, BOM, CIBC SCOTIA ETC)
Age:
Personal email:

Important Note: you are to contact the claims officer Mr Neil Trotter on ([redacted]@outlook.com) and your email to him must come from your personal email account (Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, iCloud etc) and not your school email. Failure to comply to this simple instruction means your eligibility for this grant will be disregarded.

Contact Person: Neil Trotter
Contact Email: [redacted]@outlook.com

Only send application to the above email address [redacted]@outlook.com

I await your prompt response.

Regards,
Canada Student Grant

Like we’ve seen many times before, job scammers are impersonating real UVic professors or staff and targeting students looking for extra income to help pay for essentials when the cost of living remains so high. This latest batch is more elaborately written than many of the previous ones we’ve seen and may have been composed with the help of generative AI. Despite that, many of the typical red flags are still present:

• The email came from a Gmail address and instructs you to apply by contacting a separate Mail.com address. If you receive an unsolicited job offer where either the sender or the reply address are from free email providers, it’s probably a scam.
• The salary is too good to be true–$350 per week for only 6-7 hours of remote work is well above the typical wage for co-op or other student jobs.
• The scammer requests your phone number, which may be a ploy to move the conversation away from email to evade our security controls.
• There are still a few errors in the message text, such as incorrect capitalization, awkward wording, and the lack of a name in the signature block.

If you apply for a job and are told you were the successful candidate without going through an interview or otherwise meeting your employer first, it’s very likely to be a scam. And if you are told to buy and send gift cards or transfer money to someone else, definitely do not proceed!

If you replied to the scammer, cease contact and reach out to the Computer Help Desk immediately for assistance.

From: CAMPUS JOBS <[redacted]@gmail.com>
Subject: Research Assistant Position

You don’t often get email from [redacted]@gmail.com. Learn why this is important.

HR Job title: Remote Research Assistant

Supervisor: Dr. [redacted]

Work Study: Applicants can be work-study or non-work-study students. Both undergraduate and graduate students are encouraged to apply. University of Victoria, Centre for Social and Sustainable Innovation is currently hiring Undergraduate or Graduate Students to fill the position of Research Assistant Position on a part time basis of $350 weekly.

Department Required Skills

– Highly motivated, with strong organizational and communication skills.
-Excellent problem-solving skills
-Team player who can work in a fast-paced environment with a multi-disciplinary team.

Preferred Years Experience, Skills, Training, Education

-Experience primarily using Windows operating systems
-Ability to adequately use Microsoft Excel.

This is a part-time position with a flexible schedule, and the successful candidate will work approximately 6-7 hours for $350  weekly. The position offers valuable research experience, and the opportunity to work with a dynamic and collaborative research team on campus.  As a Part-Time Remote Assistant Position you will play a crucial role in supporting me as I work with our partners and stakeholders to ensure that our programs and initiatives are making a real different in the lives of children around the world. Your responsibilities will include assisting with administrative tasks, organizing meetings and events, helping to manage communications and correspondence, handle mailing, making payments and purchasing Items when needed.

To proceed with the application process and other eligibility descriptions, submit your resume for review, functional phone number and year of study via this email address ([redacted]@mail.com) to receive further information on the position.

Best regards,
(he/his/him)
3800 Finnerty Road,
Victoria BC  V8P 5C2 Canada
https://www.uvic.ca/

This phish makes a tantalizing offer of up to $3,500 in financial assistance to tempt people to click on the link. However, the form that appears is a phishing site that first requests your username and password, and then tries to defeat MFA by telling you to be ready to confirm the login on your device.

The email is better-written than most phish, but there are still a few red flags that indicate that this offer is not genuine:

• The email did not come from a UVic email address
• The signature is generic and impersonal
• The message does not mention UVic anywhere–there is only a generic reference to “the University”
• Hovering over the link reveals that it goes to a non-UVic website

If you clicked on the link, contact the Computer Helpdesk or your department’s IT support staff immediately for assistance.

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From: [redacted]@[redacted].us
Subject: FW: University Support Program

You don’t often get email from [redacted]@[redacted].us. Learn why this is important.

In response to the economic challenges we’re all facing, I’m excited to announce the launch of a Financial Support Program designed to help both staff and students at the University.

PROGRAM DETAILS:

• Start Date: October 8, 2024
• Eligibility: All university staff and students
• Financial Assistance: Up to $3,500 per eligible applicant
• Duration: Program available through December 31, 2024

We understand how overwhelming these times can be, and we’re committed to providing support where it’s needed most.

HOW TO APPLY:

1. Visit the Support Program [link] webpage.
2. Follow the simple step-by-step application process.
3. Ensure all required information is submitted.

If you think this program could benefit you, don’t hesitate to apply! We hope it brings some relief and reassurance.

Sincerely,

Employers Support Services