The University of Nebraska Department of Public Safety has determined that circumstances exist that may pose a threat to members and guests of the University of Nebraska at Omaha campus community. Please read this notification, take any necessary precautions, and call the Department of Public Safety with any questions or concerns.
Offense(s): Fraud/Scams
Location(s): By Email
Date/Time of Occurrence(s): Ongoing
Description of Suspect(s): Unknown
Incident Summary: The University of Nebraska Department of Public Safety and the University of Nebraska Information Technology Services (ITS) were recently notified of a new email scam that has impacted some in the Maverick community.
The fraudulent email mentions that the recipient has requested to terminate their Office 365 email account. The sender urges the recipient to verify their account by clicking a suspicious shortened URL within 24 hours or else the account will be terminated.
This email is not being sent by the University of Nebraska Information Technology Services department and the link provided is not safe. The fraudulent email can look particularly convincing as the sender appears to be spoofing a university email address.
Generally speaking, unsolicited emails requesting information or account verification should be treated with caution and verified with the proper department for authenticity before taking any action. Watch for grammatical errors and ask yourself if this type of email is something you would normally receive by the person who sent it.
Safety Tips: While we recognize crime can occur in any circumstances, regardless of precautions taken, we would like to encourage all members of our community to take the following steps to support their personal safety and security.
- If you receive an email of this nature, do not respond to them.
- If you receive an email asking you to review a document or click on a link, check with the sender of the email first, preferably via phone to make sure it is a valid request.
- Never provide personal information when requested unless you can verify who is asking for the information.
- Report any suspicious emails to the FTC, at ftc.gov/complaint, and the NU Cybersecurity office at its-sec@nebraska.edu or phishing@nebraska.edu.
- When in doubt about the validity of an email, or if you have any questions, contact UNO’s Department of Public Safety.
Report any criminal or suspicious activity to:
- Contact the University of Nebraska Department of Public Safety at:
- UNO – 402.554.2911
- UNMC – 402.559.5111
