Phishing is a threat — don’t take the bait

Phishing is a threat — don’t take the bait

There has been an increase in UF Health employees falling prey to online “phishing” schemes this year. UF Health IT recently logged more than 300 instances, in a single day, where employees clicked on a phishing link. Phishing is a common way for hackers to gain personal information, usually through email messages. Cyber attackers often send a convincing email pretending to be a friend, colleague or a representative from an organization you trust, such as your bank, a charity or even the UF Health Help Desk. These emails often ask for an immediate action, such as logging into a website or submitting your username and password in a reply. Imposter emails have come from employee accounts in the UF Health system, some even from the email accounts of our leaders. Call UF Health IT if you see anything suspicious: 352-265-0526. How can you prevent falling victim to a phishing scam?

  • Do not click any links or respond to any emails asking for your personal information or credentials.
  • Only open attachments you are expecting.
  • No legitimate IT, banking, brokerage, social networking or shopping site will ask you to share         personal information in an email.
  • Legitimate UF Health emails will never ask for personal information via email.
  • Be suspicious of any unexpected emails (even from a trusted colleague or friend). Be suspicious of
    emails that require immediate action, start with a generic salutation, ask for personal information or have grammar and spelling mistakes.