On Feb. 4, around 6:00 p.m., students across White Plains High School, Rochambeau High School, Highlands Middle School, and Eastview Middle School received an email claiming students’ Office365 accounts would be disabled unless they clicked on the attached link before the next day. Some of our readers may recognize this as a classic phishing scam: an e-mail sent in an attempt to fool its victim into clicking on an unsafe link.

At 6:05, an alert on ParentSquare confirmed that the e-mail was malicious and revealed the message was sent from a “compromised account” and told students to delete the e-mail. It should also be noted that at some point, the phishing e-mail was removed from every person’s inbox and can no longer be accessed.

At 6:12, another email (also removed shortly after) addressed to students and staff was sent, stating recipients could earn $800 per week as a part-time “secret shopper.” All they had to do was survey nearby stores and supply the sender with personal information such as full name, address, email, phone number, age and occupation. This email was yet another attempt at stealing personal information using a type of phishing known as a “secret shopper” scam.

Events like this can catch people off guard, especially in a school setting. It shows how imperative it is that we protect ourselves and our information online. So, what can you do to protect yourself against scams like phishing?

First, stay calm. Scams like this prey on your panic by using urgent calls to action or threats. For example, the first email sent out urged people to act quickly and made them believe their accounts would be deactivated if they waited. The scammer hoped their victims would be so panicked they wouldn’t take time to question the validity of the email.

Next, check to make sure the sender is who/what they say they are. Scammers often try to impersonate people or organizations you know. These phishing emails were sent from a compromised district email, which could have led people to believe the link was trustworthy. Trust your gut; if something seems off, it probably is. Do not engage with the message unless you are able to confirm the person’s identity.

Finally, report suspicious activity and scams. Outlook and most other email platforms have a built-in function to report phishing, and suspicious text messages can be forwarded to 7726 (SPAM on a keypad).

Remember: NEVER click on suspicious links or attachments, and never reply to the sender of an untrustworthy message. Always delete the message after you have reported it.