NEWS ADVISORY
Washington University Police Department

Stay safe from Phishing: Easy clues to help you keep your personal information secure.

The main goal of a phishing email is to get you to a site where you will provide your personal information. With these basic, but powerful, clues, you can easily recognize the threat and ensure the safety of your identity and finances.
1. Does the email ask you to go to a website and verify personal information? Legitimate companies won't ask you to verify your personal information in response to an email.
2. What is the tone of the mail? Most phish emails convey a sense of urgency by threatening discontinued service or information loss if you don't take immediate action.
3. What is the quality of the email? Many phish emails have misspellings, bad grammar, or poor punctuation.
4. Are the links in the email valid? Deceptive links in phishing emails look like they are to a valid site, but deliver you to a fraudulent one. Many times you can see if the link is legitimate by just moving your mouse over the link.
5. Is the email personalized with your name and applicable account information? Many phish emails use generic salutations and generic information (e.g. "Dear Customer" or "Dear Account Holder") instead of your name.
6. What is the sender's email address? Many phish emails come from an email address not from the company represented in the email.
7. When in doubt, type it out. If you suspect an email to be phishing, don't click on any links in the email. Type the valid address directly into your web browser.

Nigerian Fraud Scam via E-mail

Washington University Police have received reports regarding unsolicited e-mails that describe financial opportunities in Nigeria.  These emails have also been brought to the attention of Network Technologies Services who have set up a website for more information.

Washington University owns approximately 150 apartment buildings/residences in neighborhoods adjacent to the Danforth Campus.  Residence Life, Off-Campus Housing and the Police Department have partnered with University City and St. Louis to provide enhanced security patrols in portions of these neighborhoods. To learn more about the Police Departments efforts CLICK HERE.
 
 
 

Overseas Travel Advisories

The Washington University Police Department has a  service available for members of the campus community looking for safety travel advisories as they plan overseas trips.  WUPD is a subscriber to the US State Department’s Electronic Data Base  (EDB).  The EDB provides current and authoritative information about overseas security conditions. 

Among the categories of information available from the Electronic Data Base are:
· Department of State overseas travel advisories, listed by country
· Reports on security and crime incidents, listed by country
· Updates on new or unusual situations overseas
· Addresses and telephone numbers of U.S. diplomatic and consular posts overseas
· Police emergency telephone numbers, listed by country
· General crime information on foreign cities and countries

Members of the campus community, who would like to request information about a locality prior to traveling, can contact Wendy Oloteo of the Police Department at 935-7698 or email to Wendy_Oloteo@aismail.wustl.edu
Information about traveling abroad can be found at www.ds-osac.org/