Phishing Scam Targets Student Financial Aid

Multiple colleges and universities are reporting that their students are receiving phishing emails with the purpose of stealing federal student aid reimbursements.

These emails typically claim to be from the Financial Aid or Helpdesk offices and link to fake university login pages. The scammers harvest usernames and passwords from these pages, then use these to log in and enter direct deposit information so that scammers receive financial aid funds. 

University departments will not ask for you to reveal personal information or ask you to log into unfamiliar websites via email. Legitimate sites will be linked to from the Online Tools page or on other pacificu.edu pages. If you receive an email you think may not be legitimate, call the Technology Helpdesk at 503-352-1500 or the office the email claims to be from. 

For more information see the Washington Post article on the subject.