Members of the Columbia community are receiving emails that, in one form or another, are requesting personal information.  These emails are phishing attacks, attempts to gain access to your personal information by identity theft scam artists.  If you have received these - or any other email asking you to provide personal information - delete the email.

As these threats become more sophisticated, it's important to remember:

• Never email your password or any other personal information (e.g. credit card, social security, account number).  Banks, and other financial institutions will never ask for your account number, PINs or passwords in email.
• Columbia will never ask you for your password or personal information in email so never reply to an email asking for it.
• Be cautious of any request for personal information in any form or medium, and confirm requests through published contact methods on official websites.  It's always best to type in the address yourself than click a link provided in an email.
• When shopping online, always be sure you are entering your credit card information on a secured web page.  You can determine if the page is secure by looking for the 's' in the URL (e.g., https:// webpagename. com) You will also see a graphic of a lock in your browser's frame window.

For more security information, please visit security.columbia.edu or use the 'Computer Security' link under 'Quick Links' on the Email & Computing page.

8/31/09 UPDATE: Phishing emails continue to be aimed at Columbia email addresses.  The language and content varies from group to group.  We remind everyone to please be extra-aware and skeptical of strange emails requesting personal information or asking you to click on URLs.