October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month.
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the National Cybersecurity Alliance (NCA) lead a collaborative effort between government and industry to raise cybersecurity awareness.
Strong Defense: Stay calm and verify requests before responding.
Criminals know that the weakest security link is the human one. They will try to trick or scare individuals into revealing personal information or passwords via email, phone, or social media. Often they threaten negative consequences if you don't respond quickly (like blocked access to your email). This urgency is so you won't think about the request too long.
Before you click a link or download an attachment, take a moment and think about if the request is a bit “fishy" or even unprofessional sounding (companies don't threaten their customers). If you have suspicion that something is not right, don’t respond. If you want a second opinion, reach out to the OIT Help Desk.
For great advice on how to recognize scams, read this article:
Phishing
https://staysafeonline.org/theft-fraud-cybercrime/phishing/