Don’t buy gift cards!

Cal Poly Humboldt is seeing an increase in “imposter” texts and emails that claim to be from the University President, a VP, a Department Chair, or other leader. These emails NEVER come from the humboldt.edu email address of the person they claim to be from.

It can be hard to see the sender’s actual email address, as opposed to the display name, particularly on mobile devices; unfortunately, it’s all too easy for hackers to spoof display addresses. 

Additionally, these imposter emails are designed to make you believe that the purported trusted sender is stuck in a meeting where cell phone calls are not allowed. The subject line of these emails always implies a degree of urgency, like “Are you on campus?”, “Available?”, or “Urgent!”

The scammers typically want you to respond with your mobile number using text messaging, to move the conversation. Once they have opened up this side channel, scammers will start asking you to purchase iTunes, Amazon or other gift cards, because these can easily be turned into untraceable cash.

Take these simple steps to avoid getting scammed:

• Be wary of unexpected direct texts claiming to be from campus leaders.

• Double-check the “real” email address before responding to any email you’re not sure about.

• Don’t send your cellphone number to anyone requesting it urgently via email

• Don’t buy and share gift card information with anyone via text message, even if the person claims to know you.

When it comes to information security, it’s always better to err on the side of caution. Feel free to contact the Cal Poly Humboldt information security team at iso-staff@humboldt.edu with any questions.