Technology Safety & Security

Colleges are often targets of phishing emails, especially during busier times of year.  It is important to be mindful of what links you are clicking and what you are sharing.

Tips for spotting a phishing email

• Mismatched email address: Check that the email address displayed in the “From” section matches the sender’s name and email address.  Employees of LVC should only be communicating with you through their @lvc.edu email address.
• Urgent requests: Phishing attacks will want you to rush into action before verifying the request, so they often appear to come from someone of authority, like the president, provost, or Human Resources.  These requests are often seen asking for important student or employee information or requests to purchase gift cards.
• Bad spelling & grammar: These emails are often hastily put together, with spelling and grammar mistakes.  They may have been run through a translator and have strange wording.
• Too good to be true: If a link or email is offering you something too good to be true, it most likely is.  Verify with a quick search online, or reach out to the IT Solutions Center to have us check into it for you.
• Account alerts: You will never need to verify your account or click a link to renew your account.  LVC will only send account reminder emails for your LVC username and password, beginning 14 days before your password expires.  Visit the Passwords page for information on password changes.

What to do if you receive a suspicious email

• Verify the request: Reach out to the employee directly by phone to see if the request is legitimate.
• Report the email: Report the email via the Phish Alert Report button in Outlook or forward the email to our Infrastructure & Security team, so they can investigate.
• Delete the message: After you’ve forwarded the message to us, please delete it.