Phishing/Spam emails

Brian Vitarisi Updated by Brian Vitarisi

What phishing is

Phishing is usually done through email, ads, or by sites that look similar to sites you already use. For example, someone who is phishing might send you an email that looks like it's from your bank so that you'll give them information about your bank account.

Phishing emails or sites might ask for:

  • Usernames and passwords, including password changes
  • Social Security numbers
  • Bank account numbers
  • PINs (Personal Identification Numbers)
  • Credit card numbers
  • Your mother’s maiden name
  • Your birthday
Important: BPS, Google or Gmail will never ask you to provide this type of information in an email.

If you receive an email like this, please report the email by clicking the "Phishing Hook" or the three (3) dots next to the reply button and selecting "Report Phishing" or "Phish Alert". This will alert BPSTechnology that the email sender is a scammer and moves future emails to the "Spam" folder in Gmail.

Other precautions to take after noticing a Phishing attempt

  • Log out of your google account on all devices that it is currently logged in to. You can do this easily from your gmail inbox. When you are looking at your gmail inbox, scroll all the way to the bottom of the window and click on the "Details" button in the lower right hand corner:
    Once you click on "Details" A window will appear that shows all activity on your account. Click the "Sign out all other gmail web sessions". This will log out every device except for the one you are currently using.
  • Change your password. Log in a access.boston.gov with your BPSID and password and navigate to "Change my password' under Account Tools, or click the "Forgot Password" link on the log in page at access.boston.gov.
  • Change passwords and banking information for personal accounts. It is strongly recommended that you also set up two-factor authentication of all accounts.

Resources to share with colleagues:

OIIT Video on email scams and how to recognize them. https://youtu.be/8MshXVdl7iU

How to recognize emails scams and what to do if you feel that you have fallen for a scam.  https://youtu.be/8MshXVdl7iU

2016 Article about the Boston email scams http://www.necn.com/news/new-england/FBI-Business-Email-Scam--407639535.html

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