Pitt Information Technology is aware of a phishing scam targeting the University of Pittsburgh community that claims to offer free items to those who are willing to pay shipping costs. The scam originates from a pitt.edu email address and asks recipients to text a phone number to arrange delivery of the items.

The following is a sample of the scam.

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Subject: FREE DOWNSIZING AND GIVEAWAY ITEMS FOR STAFF AND STUDENTS

Hello,

Mrs. Travis Petty is downsizing and looking to give away Her late husband's 

Sony Airpeak S1 Professional Drone, 

Piano (2014 Yamaha Baby Grand, 

Eric Clapton's 1939 Martin OOO-42

Leica S (TyR 007) Digital SLR Camera

G-Shock MRG-G2000HA-1A Limited Edition

Hasselblad H6D-400c MS Medium Format DSLR Camera

Blüthner Lucid Hive Extravaganza Piano

Panoscan MK-3 Digital 360 Degree Panoramic Camera 

Auramania Crystal Edition Gold Bike 

Sony Aibo ERS-110 Voice Robot 

Violin to a loving home. The piano is a 2014 Yamaha baby grand, the Guitar is Eric Clapton's 1939 Martin OOO-42 while the camera is Leica S (TyR 007) Digital SLR Camera .You can contact Mrs. Travis Petty to indicate your interest. Kindly reach out to her + [phone number redacted] via your phone to get it delivered to your home.

NO CALLS PLEASE, TEXT ONLY

NOTE: THE ITEMS ARE FREE, NO PICK UP, DELIVERY ONLY

REQUIREMENTS: Shipping Fee is estimated at $100 – 250 anywhere.

 

[Signature redacted]

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Additional guidance for spotting phishing scams is available on Pitt IT’s website. Keep in mind these key points:

• Only approve multifactor authentication (Duo) requests that you have initiated. Duo is designed to prevent unauthorized access to your information and University data, but it requires constant vigilance. Never tap “Approve” if you receive a Duo authentication request that you were not expecting. Uninitiated authentication requests may be an attacker attempting to compromise your Pitt account. The only safe Duo authentication request you will receive is one you request when logging in to University services.
• Do not reply to unsolicited emails or emails from unverifiable sources. If you were not expecting to receive such an email, confirm with the sender prior to interacting with the message. If you must interact with the message, avoid clicking on links contained in such emails. These may lead to sites that contain malicious software, or sites that attempt to steal your credentials. If a link looks suspicious, you can hover over the link with your mouse to preview the URL without clicking on it.
• Install an antivirus solution for personal devices. Staff and faculty should be using Microsoft Defender to protect University-owned devices.

Please contact the Technology Help Desk at +1-412-624-HELP (4357) if you have any questions regarding this announcement.