By Diaka Burrus
Online scams targeting college students have been on the rise, as phishing emails, fake job offers and scholarship fraud flood college inboxes.
The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center reports college students are vulnerable to cybercrime. In its latest report report on cyber scams, the FBI reports that nearly one in 10 victims are under 30 and represent I
Cyber security experts say people must take responsibility for protecting themselves.
“Review the email thoroughly, if you do not know the sender or expect an email do not open it,” said Nolyn Johnson Jr., senior Cybersecurity Awareness Specialist at Purdue, who oversees PNW email security. “Do not click on the hyperlinks, actional buttons, and attachments.
“Students are heavily vulnerable to online scams and phishing attacks,” he said. “In the past six months, we’ve seen more fake internships or job offers, QR Code phishing, password changes from Microsoft and recently Google Forms.”
Leif Gulbransen, K-12 Cybersecurity Technology specialist at PNW, agreed.
“Phishing is the biggest to students, phishing is the most common form,” he said.
The availability of advanced technology has made it easier for scams to appear authentic. “The use of artificial intelligence and machine learning has allowed more sophisticated and
well-crafted phishing emails that are becoming harder to detect,” said Johnson. “The continued emergence of deepfakes, voiceovers, and fake sites within social media advertising is big business for hackers today.”
Even students who have grown up with social media and deep fakes can be fooled by promising offers.
“Digital learning has made it easier for scammers, as students are now more likely to engage with scam emails,” said Nevaha Pam, a freshman.
PNW does a lot to raise security awareness to prevent scams and to educate students about safe online practices.
“Purdue frequently sends out emails on how to stay safe online and how to spot scams and phishing attempts,” said Ariadna Estrada, a freshman.
To handle email scams, students and staff should forward questionable emails to [email protected].
