BEWARE EMAIL SCAMS

It has come to our attention that students have been receiving phishing emails. The most recent email is titled: Action Required: Complete Your Financial Aid Validation Form.

 

When you get a suspicious text or email, you should make sure to:

1. Inspect the email address by clicking on it or looking at the website’s URL. If it involves a company like a bank, Google the bank number online and call the bank’s officially listed number on the web – do not call the number you see in your text or email (those will connect you to the scammer!)
   
   

2. Check to see if the phone number listed to call is in the correct area code, in this phishing email it was not a KCCD-affiliated phone number.
   
   

3. Look for misspelled words or other grammatical errors.
   
   

4. Never provide your personal information in response to urgent emails, text messages, or phone calls that instruct you to click a link to confirm your payment or enter more information.
   
   

5. Be aware that most government agencies including the IRS send notifications via snail mail and will not initiate contact with you via a phone call or text message.
   
   

6. If you still are not sure if this is a legitimate message or not, talk to someone you trust on campus before you take any action. Share the message with them to get some help determining the message’s legitimacy.

Some of these scams are very realistic and believable. If you end up falling prey to one of these scams, it is very important that you share your experience with your campus. We need to be aware of messages targeted to our students (and faculty and staff) so we can provide support.

 

This information has been shared with the fraud team and we will be addressing this at our next meeting.

 

If you have any questions about your financial aid, contact the Financial Aid Department directly, either by email at pc_faid@portervillecollege.edu or via phone at 559.791.2301

 

You can find more information on avoiding email scams by visiting THIS ARTICLE. You can also also contact the IT Helpdesk directly by calling 1-877-382-3508.