Overview

Email scams are on the rise and there is no way to effectively block them from your UWF email. In particular, a type of email scam known as phishing attempts to trick you into divulging personal information: username, password, date of birth, SSN, etc. If you responded to a phishing scam, it is important to act quickly.

The high volume of fraudulent email makes it impractical for the ITS Help Desk to alert campus of every new scam, so it is the responsibility of each UWF employee to learn how to identify and react to phishing emails.

If You Received a Phishing Email...

• Mark it as spam.
• Call the ITS Help Desk at 850-474-2075 if you need help determining the legitimacy of an email or website.
  • DO NOT forward a suspicious email to anyone, not even the ITS Help Desk.  If you do, then your account may automatically be flagged and locked.  Instead, forward the header information.

If You Responded to a Phishing Scam...

• Immediately change your password or PIN, especially if you provided any sensitive data (such as a password, social security number, UWF ID number, account numbers, PINs, birthday, etc).
  • You can change your ArgoNet password via the My Account app in MyUWF.
• Notify the organization that manages your the account. 
  • At UWF, you'll contact the ITS Help Desk (850-474-2075; helpdesk@uwf.edu).

Other Frequently Asked Questions

How can I identify a phishing email?

• What is the email asking you to provide?  UWF and other institutions and companies will not ask you to provide sensitive data via email, and end users are discouraged from doing so.
• How urgent is the email?  Scammers try to infuse their emails with a false sense of urgency (e.g., "Do this now or you'll lose your account!!!").
• What address is the email from?  Official UWF emails will come from addresses ending in @uwf.edu.

Can phishing emails contain official logos and images?

Yes, phishing could contain official logos and images, or logos and images that look official enough.

For example, examine the May 2017 Google Docs scam that spread across the country.  It contains an official-looking Google Docs button and the email looks legitimate:

How did "phishing" get its name?

Do phishing attacks occur only online?

How do phishing attacks spread so quickly?

Should I trust an email that seems to come from someone I know?