Student & Employee Best Practices

How to Recognize a Scam 

• Does not indicate the company name/the employer’s contact information.
• Comes from an email address that does not match the company name.
• Offers to pay a large amount of money for very little work.
• Requests sensitive information such as Social Security Number, bank account/credit card details, copies of your passport/license, or other documents during the interview process.
• Requires you to transfer/wire money from one account to another, or purchase any type of gift cards.
• Offers you a job without ever interacting with you.
• Offers to send you a check before you start working.

If you are suspicious of a job posting or email, don’t hesitate to contact the Steinbright Career Development Center. 

How to Avoid a Scam

• Visit the organization’s website: if the organization in question doesn’t have a website or the website doesn’t seem to match the advertised job, there may be cause for concern.
• Use personal contacts, LinkedIn, or other networking sites: use any connections you may have that can help you find inside information about the company.
• Be suspicious of poor communication skills of the employer: be careful when an employer cannot communicate accurately or effectively on the website, by email, or over the telephone.
• Don’t pay any application fees that may be requested from you: legitimate employers, including the federal government, will never ask you to pay to get a job.
• Never bank on a “cleared” check: no legitimate potential employer will ever send you a check and then tell you to send them part of the money or buy gift cards with it.
• Take the DUST: For more knowledge on Information Security, please take Drexel University's Security Training. 

If You Were Scammed

Here are some things you can do if you have been scammed:

• Report it to Drexel's Department of Public Safety.
• If you have been a victim of an internet related scam, please file a complaint with the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Internet Crime Complaint Center IC3.
• You can also report fraud to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/#/.
• For more information, please visit the Federal Trade Commission's web page at https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/what-do-if-you-were-scammed 

• Use Drexel-provided information technology services.
• Use Drexel’s VPN when available.
• Have a dedicated, secure place that is safe from virtual and physical break-ins.
• Do not have sensitive work conversations near listening smart home devices, e.g., Alexa, Google Home, etc.
• Avoid using public Wi-Fi, e.g., coffee shops, airports, etc.
• Do not leave sensitive information exposed physically or online.
• Lock your device when you are away.
• Call in person before disclosing sensitive information regarding ordinary purchases (e.g., gift cards), change of information, account numbers, etc.
• Do not share passwords with others or use the same password for multiple accounts.

To learn more about self-protection from cyber-threats, take the D.U.S.T, Drexel University Security Training. 

Planning on traveling internationally? Check out our Technology Guidelines for International Travelers.

• Change your password when there is evidence of a compromise.
• Do not save your passwords on shared devices.
• Implement multi-factor authentication (MFA).
• Use a password manager.
• Never share your passwords with others.
• Do not reuse passwords.

• The password must be between 10 and 32 characters in length.
• It must contain characters from at least 3 of 4 character sets: lowercase (e.g. a, b, c), uppercase (e.g. A, B, C), numbers (e.g. 1, 2, 3), or symbols (e.g. @, $, !).
• It should not contain your name or your username.
• The new password must be different from the old one by at least three characters. That is, you can't change just one or two characters.
• The new password should be one you have never used before.

• Log out of public workstations before leaving.
• Keep your browser up to date.
• Beware of phishing scams. Drexel will never ask for your password.
• Change your password immediately and contact Drexel IT Help Desk if you suspect your account has been compromised.

Do you run a Drexel University Official Social Media Account? Here are some guidelines  on how to secure it.

If you have questions or need help updating your Drexel-provided devices to the latest OS version, contact your IT department or the Drexel IT Help Desk. 

Microsoft Windows Update

For instructions on how to update, follow the instructions presented within Microsoft's support website: Update Windows - Microsoft Support.

macOS Update

For instructions on how to update, Follow the instructions presented within Apple’s support website: Update macOS on Mac - Apple Support.

For more information on endpoint security software, please see Endpoint Protection.

Drexel users are strongly encouraged to enable their built-in operating system firewall. Firewalls help protect computers by restricting remote access to critical system services.

Windows

For more information on Windows firewall, follow this link to Windows’ official site: Turn Microsoft Defender Firewall on or off - Microsoft Support.

macOS

For more information on firewall in macOS, follow this link to Apple’s official site: Change Firewall settings on Mac - Apple Support.