Phishing Attempt | Important (Outstanding Payment)

Posted November 13, 2017 by Academic and Institutional Technology
Tags: Phishing Attempts

Phishing Attempt | Important (Outstanding Payment)

Effective Date: November 13, 2017

Some employees and students recently received an email pretending to be from Wheaton College, and prompting them to view a secured document.

This email is a phishing attempt. Do not click the link. Thank you to all who reported this scam.

If you responded to this scam, please contact us at 630.752.4357 (HELP).

How to Spot a Phishing Attempt

A screenshot of a recent phishing email

The image above is a screenshot of this phishing attempt. Several things indicate that this email is not what it claims to be: 

  1. The subject line is vague and invokes a sense of urgency, While subject lines like this don't always indicate a phishing attempt, it's still a sign to be more cautious than usual.
  2. Check to see if the URL matches the supposed sender. You can often hover over links to see the URL. This email claims to be from Wheaton College, but the link directs people to a non-Wheaton website.

Always exercise caution when responding to emails. If you're not sure whether an email is a phishing attempt or not, contact us or call 630.752.4357 (HELP).