NEWS RELEASE

Date:  July 8, 2009

The ISU Police division is warning the community to be aware of fraudulent emails that are being sent which could result in identity theft.  Email scams, also known as phishing scams, are often legitimate looking emails that appear to come from a well known and trustworthy website in an attempt to gather personal and financial information from a recipient.  These attempts may try to convince you there is something wrong with your banking or other financial accounts, or even threaten your life so you will email your personal information or link to a phishing website where you will enter your information.  As a general rule, do not open any email messages from senders you do not recognize.  If you think the email might be legitimate, it is best to call the person or organization to verify the origin of the email.

• Do not respond to unsolicited (spam) e-mail.
• Delete emails sent from unknown internet addresses even if they appear to come from legitimate sources.
• Be skeptical of individuals representing themselves as officials soliciting via e-mail for money.
• Do not click on links contained within an unsolicited e-mail.
• Be cautious of email claiming to contain pictures in attached files, as the files may contain viruses. Only open attachments from known senders.
• Validate the legitimacy of the organization by directly accessing the recognized charity or aid organization’s website rather than following an alleged link to the site.
• Do not provide personal or financial information to anyone via email: providing such information may compromise your identity and make you vulnerable to identity theft.

Individuals who receive such emails are encouraged to file a complaint at www.ic3.gov.  If you feel your identity has been compromised, please contact ISU Police at 515-294-4428.  For more information about new scams and warnings please visit the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s website at http://www.fbi.gov/cyberinvest/escams.htm.

Contact:

Aaron DeLashmutt, Lieutenant

ISU Department of Public Safety

55 Armory Building

Ames, IA  50011

(515) 294-7166 (Direct)

(515) 294-4428 (Dispatch)