Pitt Information Technology is aware of a new phishing scam targeting the University of Pittsburgh community. The scam appears to originate from a Pitt email address and offers recipients a free musical instrument if they are willing to pay for shipping costs. The scam’s goal is to convince recipients to pay money for an instrument that will never be delivered.
The following is a sample of the recent scam. If you receive this message (or any message similar to it), please report it as a phishing scam by forwarding the email message as an attachment to phish@pitt.edu. Detailed instructions on reporting scams are available at http://technology.pitt.edu/phishingscams.
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Subject: GIVEAWAY-DOWNSIZING MUSICAL INSTRUNMENTS AND ITEMS
Mrs. Ann Patrica is downsizing and looking to give away Her late husband's Musical Instruments and items to a loving home as she is travelling out of states soon . The instruments are
- PIANO ( 2014 Yamaha baby grand )
- Guitar ( Eric Clapton's 1939 Martin OOO-42 )
- Violin (Yamaha AV7-44SG 4/4 Size )
- Leica S (TyR 007) Digital SLR Camera
You can email or text Mrs. Ann Patrica to indicate your interest, Kindly contact her via her private phone number <Phone number removed> only if you are capable of making the delivery fee for the items. As the item awaits first person to send address and shipping fee to Mrs. Ann Private movers
NOTE: THE ITEMS ARE FREE
NO PICKUP OPTION DUE TO HER CURRENT SITUATION
REQUIREMENTS: SHIPPING FEE RANGING $100 - $500 DEPENDING ON YOUR LOCATION
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Pitt IT strongly recommends that you 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.
In addition, Pitt IT recommends that all students, faculty, and staff install Antivirus and Anti-Malware (Malwarebytes) Protection. Departments can submit a help request to obtain Malwarebytes for multiple machines.
Please contact the Technology Help Desk at +1 412-624-HELP (4357) if you have any questions regarding this announcement.