The start of the semester also brings a new onslaught of attempts to part you from your NetID. You worked hard to earn that NetID, and it’s up to you to safeguard it from thieves. Here are some tips to help you do exactly that. 

Suspect Social Engineering

With social engineering, the scammer tries to leverage your thoughts and emotions. Two examples: 

Know the Warning Signs 

Scams like this rely on: 

• Urgency: “Immediately” and “today” creates pressure to act quickly
• Fear: The threat of losing something valuable to you
• Authority: Pretends to be from university staff or departments
• Impersonation: Uses a realistic-looking email and link 

If It’s Too Good To Be True… 

When you see a job opportunity that offers $450 a week for 7 hours of weekly work (an astonishing $64 per hour), that should raise red flags in your mind. These scamming attempts try to work a “long con” on you: 

The scammer hunts for people who might need access to cash without a huge burden on their time. When you reply, the scammer knows you’re nibbling at their hook and will try to reel you in, and then steal your password or, worse yet, your cash. 

Cornell Gives You Tools to Avoid Getting Hooked 

• Find real university jobs through the Student Employment website.
• Browse legitimate internship opportunities through Career Services.
• Protect your classmates: report suspected phishing attempts with PhishAlarm.
• Check the PhishBowl for the latest attempts to net Cornell students in scams.
• Use Cornell Verified Communications (login required) to confirm a legitimate-looking message.
• When in doubt, contact the Cornell person or department using the information in the Cornell directory (not the email sent to you).