This fake email termination notification was received by many users on their personal cell phone numbers via text message.
What makes this a phishing message?
This targeted phishing scam is pretending to be a UC Berkeley technician and uses urgency and fear to cause the recipients to act, threatening loss of service (email).
Tips if Something Seems Off:
UC Berkeley Help Desks will NEVER initiate contact directly via test to personal cell phone numbers
No technician will ever ask you to send them a password, DUO push code or other secret account information, especially in an insecure way like plain text email or a text message
A check of the campus directory has no listing for this individual as a staff member.
Follow up with the sender separately
If you didn’t expect it, reject it. Or follow up with the individual directly in a separate email or call/text to confirm.
- Report and/or flag it
- Open the message
- To the right of the 'Reply' arrow select 'More' (typically denoted with three vertical dots)
- Then 'Report phishing'
For suspicious messages received by text, please take a screenshot and forward the message to phishing@berkeley.edu(link sends e-mail)(link sends e-mail) For more information visit https://security.berkeley.edu/resources/phishing
Original Message: