Screenshot of malicious email:
In late August, 2021, another round of job scam emails were sent out from compromised University email addresses. These are the same job scams that the Information Security Team has been alerting the community to for many months.
The malicious email encourages recipients to apply for a "job" as a mystery/secret shopper at a research firm, by sending interest to an external non-DePaul email address. Once in contact with the scammer, the scammer will request other personal information from the victim. Once the malicious actor has a phone number for the victim, the communications will often move to a text message format. Ultimately, the malicious actor will attempt to defraud the victim by sending the victim a fraudulent check or via a cash transferring app such as Zelle or Cash App.
It is important not to take email at face value, even when it appears to come from a DePaul or other known address.
Some indicators that this email is malicious:
- Numerous spelling and grammatical errors
- Promises of easy money
- Communications being led off of DePaul's platform (i.e. emailing a non-DePaul email address and communications via text messages)