{"id":552,"date":"2025-05-06T10:55:50","date_gmt":"2025-05-06T14:55:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/phish-files\/?p=552"},"modified":"2026-02-16T16:07:12","modified_gmt":"2026-02-16T21:07:12","slug":"scam-survivor-day-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/phish-files\/2025\/05\/06\/scam-survivor-day-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"Scam Survivor Day: Staying Safe in a Digital World"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>In honor of <strong>Scam Survivor Day, May 8, 2025<\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, our <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/information-technology\/security\/\">Information Security<\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> team is raising awareness about the growing risk of scams and how you can protect yourself, your data, and our campus community.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Scams come in many forms\u2014emails, texts, phone calls, even fake social media messages\u2014and they\u2019re more convincing than ever. Whether you&#8217;re a student juggling classes and part-time jobs, a faculty member focused on research, or a staff member supporting campus operations, <\/span><em><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">everyone<\/span><\/em><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> is a potential target.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>Common Types of Scams on Campus<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Here are some scams we\u2019ve seen targeting our community:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><strong>Job Offer Scams<\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">: Fake offers from scammers impersonating faculty or recruiters, often asking you to buy gift cards, deposit checks or send personal information<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><strong>Phishing Emails<\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">: Messages that look like they\u2019re from the university or popular services (like Amazon or PayPal) trying to trick you into clicking a malicious link or entering your login info<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><strong>Tech Support Scams<\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">: Phone calls or pop-ups claiming your device is infected and asking you to grant remote access<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><strong>Romance and \u201cFriend in Need\u201d Scams<\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">: Messages on social media or dating apps that quickly shift to asking for money or gift cards<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>What To Do If You Think You\u2019ve Been Scammed<\/h2>\n<p>First of all: <strong>Don\u2019t panic. You\u2019re not alone.<\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Scams are designed to manipulate and trick people\u2014they exploit trust, urgency, and fear. Acting quickly can help limit the damage:<\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none\">\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><strong>Stop responding immediately<\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> \u2013 Don\u2019t send more money or information<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><strong>Change your passwords<\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, especially if you gave out your login credentials<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><a href=\"https:\/\/iams-amc.montclair.edu\/page-password-reset-initial\">NetID Password Reset<\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">If your password is the same on other accounts you should change those as well<\/span>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">(Gmail, Netflix, Venmo, Instagram, etc.)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><strong>Report the scam<\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> to the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/information-technology\/security\/\">Information Security<\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> team right away. They can help contain the impact and investigate further:\u00a0<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/information-technology\/security\/pab\/\">KnowBe4 PAB button<\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Forward the email to <\/span><a href=\"mailto:phishfiles@montclair.edu\"><strong>phishfiles@montclair.edu<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><strong>Contact your bank or credit card provider<\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> if you sent money or shared financial info<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><strong>Tell someone you trust<\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. Talking about it helps reduce stigma\u2014and could help others avoid the same trap<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><strong>Report it<\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. If you have provided <\/span><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.techtarget.com\/searchsecurity\/definition\/personally-identifiable-information-PII\">Personally Identifiable Information (PII)<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> it to:<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><a href=\"https:\/\/reportfraud.ftc.gov\/\">Federal Trade Commission<\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Contact your local police department<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ic3.gov\/\">Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3)<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h2>If You Think You&#8217;ve <em>Received<\/em> a Scam&#8230;<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Not sure if that message is real? Here&#8217;s what to do:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><strong>Don&#8217;t click links or download attachments<\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> unless you&#8217;re certain of the source<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><strong>Look closely at the sender&#8217;s email address<\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> or phone number\u2014scammers often impersonate real names<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><strong>Ask yourself: Is this too good (or bad) to be true?<\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Scams rely on urgency (\u201cDo this <\/span><em><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">now<\/span><\/em><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> or something bad happens!\u201d) or rewards (\u201cYou&#8217;ve won something amazing!\u201d)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><strong>Forward suspicious emails<\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> to <\/span><a href=\"mailto:phishfiles@montclair.edu\">phishfiles@montclair.edu<\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> or use the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/information-technology\/security\/pab\/\">Knowbe4 PAB button<\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> for a quick response<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><strong>Call the person or department directly<\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> using a trusted number if you&#8217;re unsure<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Tips to Avoid Scams<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Preventing scams starts with awareness and a few smart habits:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><strong>Enable multi-factor authentication (MFA)<\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> on your accounts<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/information-technology\/security\/duo-mfa\/\">Duo Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><strong>Use strong, unique passwords<\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> for each service\u2014consider a password manager<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.staysafeonline.org\/articles\/password-managers\"><strong>Password Manager<\/strong><\/a>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\">Suggested:<a href=\"https:\/\/1password.com\/\"><strong> 1Password<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><strong>Be skeptical of urgent or emotional appeals<\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, especially if they involve money<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><strong>Double-check before sharing personal or financial information<\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, especially online<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><strong>Stay informed<\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u2014scam tactics evolve constantly, and awareness is your best defense<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\">For all things <em>phishy<\/em><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> and more articles like this, visit the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/phish-files\/\">Phish Files<\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">!<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Let\u2019s break the stigma around falling for scams.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Scam Survivor Day is about more than warnings\u2014it&#8217;s about support. If you&#8217;ve been scammed, you&#8217;re not alone, and help is available. Reporting scams helps protect <\/span><strong><em>everyone<\/em><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> on campus.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">By staying alert, asking questions, and watching out for one another, we can make our digital community stronger and safer.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Need help?<\/strong><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Contact the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/information-technology\/it-service-desk\/\">IT Service Desk<\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> at <\/span><a href=\"tel:9736557971\"><strong>973-655-7971<\/strong><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, option 1, or by email at <\/span><strong><a href=\"mailto:itservicedesk@montclair.edu\">itservicedesk@montclair.edu<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>Want To Know More?<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Internet Crime Complaint Center | <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ic3.gov\/\">File a Complaint with Us<\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">TechTarget | <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.techtarget.com\/searchsecurity\/definition\/personally-identifiable-information-PII\">Personally Identifiable Information (PII)<\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Federal Trade Commission | <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/reportfraud.ftc.gov\/\">Report Fraud<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In honor of Scam Survivor Day, May 8, 2025, our Information Security team is raising awareness about the growing risk of scams and how you can protect yourself, your data, and our campus community. Scams come in many forms\u2014emails, texts, phone calls, even fake social media messages\u2014and they\u2019re more convincing than ever. Whether you&#8217;re a [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":349,"featured_media":222,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-552","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/phish-files\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/552","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/phish-files\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/phish-files\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/phish-files\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/349"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/phish-files\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=552"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/phish-files\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/552\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1421,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/phish-files\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/552\/revisions\/1421"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/phish-files\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/222"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/phish-files\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=552"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/phish-files\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=552"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/phish-files\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=552"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}