Phishing is an unauthorized attempt to obtain your personal information. An email is sent to you, claiming to be from a place where you legitimately do business in an attempt to get you to volunteer personal information such as your Social Security number, credit card information, or password. Typically, these bogus emails link you to a counterfeit Web site where you’re asked to enter account usernames, bank account numbers, and other personal identifiers. If you receive a suspicious email, do not open any attachments or click on any links.
Excelsior College will not ask your personal information such as credit card or Social Security numbers via email. If you have any question about the legitimacy of the email that appears to be coming from the College, please contact Technical Support.
Detailed information about phishing, ways to avoid email scams, and how to report them, are included on the Federal Trade Commission Web site:
FTC Consumer Alert: “How Not to Get Hooked by a ‘Phishing’ Scam”
