January 11, 2008

Purdue community warned of
e-mail scam

The e-mail appears to come from the Purdue messaging center to all Purdue e-mail account users and reads: "This message is from Purdue messaging center to all Purdue email (sic) account owners. We are currently upgrading our data base and e-mail account center. We are deleting all unused Purdue email account (sic) to create more space for new accounts. To prevent your account from closing you will have to update it below so that we will know that it's a present (sic) used account."

Scott Ksander, executive director of IT networks and security, said, "Users should immediately delete the e-mail and do not reply."

He said this is a targeted e-mail scam, or phishing, e-mail that attempts to fraudulently acquire sensitive information by pretending to represent an authoritative entity such as the Purdue Webmail Team.

Ksander recommends that people who have already responded to the e-mail immediately reset their password.

Writer: Jim Bush, (765) 496-2077, jsbush@purdue.edu

Source: Charles B. Flahive, (765) 496-6919, cbflahive@purdue.edu

Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu

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