Defend Your Data: Stay alert for common scams as new semester begins

Cybercriminals see the start of a new semester as an opportunity to take advantage of students, faculty, and staff. If something sounds too good to be true—or demands urgency—pause and verify. Information Technology Services offers these tips to help you stay safe in today’s evolving threat landscape.

Watch out for job and scholarship scams. Scammers are increasingly targeting students with fake job and scholarship offers via email, text, and social media. Unsolicited job offers for remote work, nannying or tutoring are often a trap. Legitimate University job offers are posted by WVU Career Services on Handshake.

Recognize AI-powered phishing and vishing. Cybercriminals now use generative AI to craft convincing phishing emails and voice scams (vishing) to impersonate professors, administrators, or well-known companies. These messages often include fake invoices or billing notices, requests to call a number to resolve a charge, or attempt to mimic real WVU communications. Verify unusual or urgent requests by contacting the supposed sender through a trusted method.

Be aware of QR code phishing. “Quishing" is on the rise: attackers use malicious QR codes to route to fake websites that steal credentials or install malware. Only scan QR codes from trusted sources and preview the link before opening.

Never share your WVU Login credentials, Social Security number, birth date, or banking details in unsolicited messages. Hover over links within an email to see where they really lead before clicking. Be sure to look closely at the sender and the email domain.

Forward suspicious-looking emails as an attachment to DefendYourData@mail.wvu.edu, and we’ll determine whether it’s legitimate or a potential security threat.

If you suspect a security or privacy breach, report it right away. Depending on the nature of the data involved, either Information Security Services or the Health Sciences Privacy and Security Team will follow up.

Visit it.wvu.edu/defend-your-data for more cybersecurity tips and resources.