HCCC and Related Fraud

ITS Warning: Phone and Text Scams Active Now

December 6, 2024

SECURITY ALERT: PHONE AND TEXT SCAMS
Text Message Scammers Seek Money, Information, and Engagement

HCCC ITS and Security is alerting all students, faculty, and staff to the rising threat of scam text messages and phone calls. Reports of these scams increase as we get closer to the holidays. Students, especially, are a significant target for these scammers.

What Are Text Scams:
Scam text message senders want you to engage with them; they may use fear and anxiety to get you to interact. Texts may include false-but-believable claims about passwords needing to be reset, computer or email problems, unpaid bills, package delivery snafus, bank account problems, or law enforcement actions against you. They may provide somewhat correct information or utilize other techniques to spur your curiosity and engagement.

Some scammers may be after your money, but others may simply be trying to collect personal information or confirm that a phone number is active for future scams. Please don't respond or click on any links in the message. If you think a text might be legitimate, you should independently look up contact information and reach out directly to HCCC ITS, the person, company, or agency.

HCCC ITS will never text you to ask you for passwords or multi-factor authentication codes. ITS does not utilize Google Forms for any purpose.

What to Look Out For:
Scam text messages – also known as “smishing” – sometimes utilize:

• Unknown numbers
• Misleading information
• Ask for your password
• Ask if your email is correct
• Misspellings to avoid blocking/filtering tools
• 10-digit or longer phone numbers
• Mysterious links
• Correct but Incomplete information

How to Protect Yourself:

• Do not respond to suspicious texts, even if the message requests that you "text STOP" to end messages.
• Do not click on any links.
• Do not provide any information via text or website.
• Delete all suspicious texts.
• Update your smart device OS and security apps.
• Consider installing anti-malware software.
• Review text-blocking tools in your mobile phone settings, available third-party apps, and your mobile phone carrier’s offerings.
• Contact HCCC IT Immediately if they are asking about your HCCC information or accounts

If you have received a text like this and responded with your HCCC password or typed a code into your authenticator, contact ITS immediately at (201) 360-4310 or itshelpFREEHUDSONCOUNTYCOMMUNITYCOLLEGE.

 

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ITS Warning: Phishing attempt “Fw: Document shared with you: "New Month Board Decision On For All Staffs & Faculty"

September 14, 2023

If you have received the attached email please report it with Phish Alert or delete it. If you’ve interacted with the link, contact the Help Desk immediately.

 

ITS Warning: Phishing - Document shared with you: "2023 Salary Adjustments and Health Benefits For Faculty & Academic Staff Accepted by The Administrative Board."

September 8, 2023

If you have received the following email, please report it with the PhishAlert button or delete it. If you have interacted with this email or the Google Doc, please contact the Help Desk immediately.

 

ITS Warning: Phising Email "PRPSL" from an outside address

August 29, 2023

The following message is an attempt at phishing. Do not respond to the sender. You should report any suspicious emails with the PhishAlert button. If you have interacted with the sender, please contact the Help Desk.

 

ITS Warning: Hudson County Community College [Date] Urgent Review. Phishing Email

July 21, 2023

If you have received this Urgent Review message, please report it with the PhishAlert button or delete it. If you have interacted with this email, contact the Help Desk.

 

ITS Warning: Phishing Email Urgent Business Review

June 8, 2023

The "Hudson County Community College 06/08/2023 Urgent Business Review." is a phishing email. Please either report it with the PhishAlert button or delete it. If you have interacted with this email, please contact the Help Desk at itshelpFREEHUDSONCOUNTYCOMMUNITYCOLLEGE.

As a reminder, whenever you receive an unexpected email with a link or attachment, verify with the sender that it is expected. It is best to call or message the person, rather than respond to the email, which may be still in use by the attacker. Never login to a site with your HCCC credentials if you are not sure that it is a College-provided service. If you are ever unsure, please contact the Help Desk or use the PhishAlert button.

 

ITS Warning: FRAUD Hudson County Community College Important Fax

June 6, 2023

This message is fraud. Please delete it or report it with the PhishAlert button. If you’ve interacted with the message, please contact the Help Desk.

 

ITS Warning: Fraudulent email from "Chris Reber"

April 11, 2023

You may have received an email from an external sender with the name "Chris Reber" or with no name. This email includes similar information to the following, "I hope this email finds you well. I wanted to reach out to know if you could help me with something important real quick you should drop your cellphone digit if yes thanks." It is an attempt at fraud. Please either delete the message or report it with the PhishAlert button. If you have interacted with the scammer, please get in touch with the Help Desk.

 

ITS Warning: IT HELP DESK GENERAL UPDATES Phishing Email

February 7, 2023

If you have received an email with the subject "IT HELP DESK GENERAL UPDATES," delete it or report with the PhishAlert button. If you clicked on the Confirm button, please contact the Help Desk immediately.

 

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ITS Warning: Scam blank subject email - requesting cell phone number

October 31, 2022

If you have received a request for your phone number from "Alison Wakefield" from a non-HCCC address, please report it with PhishAlert or delete it. Contact the Help Desk if you have interacted with the sender.

 

ITS Warning: School Email Deactivation phishing messages

October 7, 2022

If you've received a "School Email Deactivation" email, it is a phishing message. Please report it with PhishAlert or delete it. Contact the Help Desk if you've interacted with the email.

 

ITS Warning: Phishing Message "Memo: From the HR Department"

September 26, 2022

If you have received a similar message, "Memo: From the HR Department," from a student account, please report it with the PhishAlert button or delete it. If you have clicked any links in this message, please contact the Help Desk.

 

ITS Warning: Fraudulent Email from Dean requesting cell number

September 18, 2022

Please watch out for an external email purporting to be from an HCCC Dean. The sender requests the recipient's cell phone number. These requests are fraudulent. Report these messages with the PhishAlert button or delete them.

 

ITS Warning: Recent fraud emails - job notices and announcements from students

September 17, 2022

ITS has sent warnings about a few fraudulent and phishing emails over the last few days. Please be cautious with emails from individuals' unfamiliar email addresses. The College typically sends notices from Communications, ITS Info, and DEI, for example. The student email address domain is @live.hccc.edu, while the faculty and staff email domain is @hccc.edu.

Job notices for students can be found with Career Pathways or Financial Aid Federal Work Study.

These are the latest Fraudulent Emails that ITS has quarantined:

• Part-Time Personal Assistant/Bookkeeper
• FLEXIBLE VIRTUAL JOB
• IMPORTANT UPDATE FROM THE ADMIN
• HR Department Message

When you see a suspicious message, please use the Phish Alert button, forward it to spamFREEHUDSONCOUNTYCOMMUNITYCOLLEGE, or contact the Help Desk. Remember, when a message seems too good to be true, it probably is.

 

ITS Warning: PAYCHECK ACCOUNT UPDATE Email is Fraud

July 5, 2022

If you received a similar email to that below, please report it with the Phish Alert button or delete it.

 

ITS Warning: Fraud Email - Subject is Your Name

June 15, 2022

If you have received an email from an external address with the subject of the recipient's name that seems to be from an HCCC employee, please report it with the Phish Alert button, or delete it. If you have interacted with the fraudster, please contact the Help Desk immediately. If you receive an email from an external address that seems to be an internal sender, always contact the person through another means (phone, text, instant message) to verify that it is legitimate.

 

ITS Warning: PDF Phishing Email

June 6, 2022

If you have received the PDF email, you should delete it immediately. This is a phishing email. If you have interacted with this link, please contact the Help Desk immediately.

 

ITS Warning: Empty subject email from "Christopher Reber"

June 2, 2022

If you received this type of email requesting your mobile number, please delete or report the message. ITS has blocked the sender and removed the emails for anyone who has not opened the message. This message is FRAUD, contact the Help Desk if you gave any personal information to this person.

 

ITS Warning: Email from "William Netchert" - Subject is Recipient's Name

April 19, 2022

You may have received an external email from "William Netchert" with the subject of your own name. The email is a phishing attempt. Please delete or report it using the Phish Alert button. If you have interacted with this sender, please contact the Help Desk.

 

ITS Alert: Campus Announcement!!! Phishing Message

April 6, 2022

If you have received the below email, please delete it or report it via the PhishAlert button. If you have interacted with the link, please contact the Help Desk.

 

ITS Warning: False Docusign Review Email

February 8, 2022

If you have received a Docusign email from any HCCC staff, faculty, or student requesting you to click a link to review a document, please delete it immediately. If you are unsure if an email is legitimate or if you have clicked a link in this email, please contact the Help Desk immediately.  

 

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"Are you at the office?" Email Fraud

October 26, 2021

Please be advised of a scam coming from Gmail accounts that impersonate internal HCCC users. The emails come from a Gmail address in the pattern Username.hccc.edu@gmail.com. These emails have an External Flag warning on them. The scammer looks to start a conversation with the user to get them to complete a task. Delete these emails immediately or use the Phish Alert button to report them to ITS. If you interacted with someone who asked you to buy gift cards, please contact the Help Desk.

 

"DECK?" Email Fraud

September 9, 2021

An email with the subject "DECK?" from "Christopher M. Reber" is an external email that is fradulent. If you have interacted or replied to this email, please contact the Help Desk.

 

Swift Response Fraud

August 25, 2021

An email with the subject "Swift Response" from "Dr. Chris Reber" is an external email from a Gmail address and is an attempt at fraud. If you have interacted with this email address, please contact the Help Desk.

 

Important Task Fraud

August 20, 2021

An email with the subject "Important task" from "Darryl Jones" is an external email from a Gmail address and is an attempt at fraud. If you have interacted with this email address, please contact the Help Desk.

 

State Retirement Assistance for HCCC Personnel Fraud

January 31, 2021

The email with the subject "State Retirement Assistance for Hudson County Community College Personnel" is not affiliated with the college. If you have received this email please disregard or delete it. If you have interacted with this email, please contact the Help Desk immediately.

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Memo From HR Department Fraud

November 18, 2020

You may have received an email with the subject "Memo From HR Department." Please delete this message. If you clicked on the link enclosed, please contact the Help Desk immediately.

 

Cancel Account Disable Request Fraud

November 13, 2020

An email titled "Cancel Account Disable Request" is a phishing attempt. Please delete the message. If you clicked on the button in the email, contact the Help Desk for assistance.

 

Fradulent Emergency Email

October 7, 2020

Please delete this email, with the subject "EMERGENCY" that appears to come from Jennifer Christopher. This is an external email from a Gmail account. If you have interacted with this email, please contact the Help Desk immediately.

 

Return to Campus Email Fraud

September 17, 2020

If you receive an email where "Christopher M Reber" is trying to share a file with you concerning Return to Campus information, please immediately delete the email for this is a phishinig attempt. All Return to Campus information can be found here. If you have interacted with this email address, contact the ITS Help Desk for assistance.

 

Phi Theta Kappa Phish

August 26, 2020

If you receive an email from someone not authorized with Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society, and are being invited to join, DO NOT click the link or go to the website associated with this email for this is a phishing attempt to steal your information. Please send emails such as these to spamFREEHUDSONCOUNTYCOMMUNITYCOLLEGE. If you have interacted with this email, please contact the ITS Help Desk for assistance.

 

Surprise Planning Scam

August 20, 2020

If you receive an email from Maria Nieves asking to text you for planning a surprise with staff or other related persons, DO NOT text or call the number for this is a phishing attempt. Please send emails such as these to spamFREEHUDSONCOUNTYCOMMUNITYCOLLEGE. If you have interacted with this email, please contact the ITS Help Desk for assistance.

 

Blank Subject from Dr. Reber Scam

June 29, 2020

If you receive an email with a blank subject and from "Christopher M Reber" please delete it immediately for it is a phishing attempt. If you have interacted with this email address, contact the ITS Help Desk for assistance.

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Gift Card Scam

December 9, 2019

If you receive an email who claims to be Dr. Christopher Reber, and is asking for your time to order gift cards or any other related requests, please delete the message immediately for this is a phishing attempt. If you have contacted this person, please reach out to the Help Desk.

 

Email Validation Fraud

December 4, 2019

An email that seems to be from the HCCC "Information Desk" is a phishing attempt. Please delete immediately. If you have clicked the link, contact the Help Desk immediately for assistance.

 

"Good Morning" Scam

November 21, 2019

If you receive a fraudulent "Good morning" email from someone who claims to be Dr. Glen Gabert, and requests the user to contact him, please delete the message immediately. If you have contacted this person, please reach out to the Help Desk.

 

President Incentives Scam

August 27, 2019

An email with the subject "Incentives" appears to be from the address of "Christopher M. Reber", but is from a non-hccc.edu email address. It includes the External Email warning. This email requests help with an urgent purchase, and if you reply, will ask you to purchase Gift Cards on behalf of the sender. This is a fraudulent request that will result in loss of funds. Please delete this email without responding. If you have interacted with this sender, please contact the Help Desk.

 

Quarantine Messages Scam

June 5, 2019

​If you receive an email saying it is from "Hccc", Microsoft, or any unfamiliar address, and is stating you have incoming messages that have been moved to quarantine, immediately delete it and do not open any attachments or links for this is a phishing attempt. If you clicked a link or interacted with the email, please contact the Help Desk.

 

HCCC Mail Scam

May 22, 2019

If you receive an email from "hccc.edu Mail" and claims that you are using an old mailbox, immediately delete it without opening it for this is a phishing attempt. Do not reply to it nor open any attachments or links. If you have interacted with the email, please contact the Help Desk.

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Update Request Scam

September 10, 2018

Scammers are sending emails pretending to be HCCC staff or faculty to trick you. The Update Payroll email attempts to get direct deposits re-routed to a scammer's account. The gift card purchase is a request from a manager, dean, vice president, or president. This email exchange states that the person is busy in a meeting, and needs your help to buy a gift. The gift may be supposed to be for a family member or another HCCC employee. Please forward any of these attempts to spamFREEHUDSONCOUNTYCOMMUNITYCOLLEGE or contact the Help Desk.

As always, if an email seems at all suspicious, either call the sender to verify or forward the message to ITS for verification.

 

Attention Required Scam

September 10, 2018

This fraudulent email is being sent from "Bookhart, Nancy NBookhard@paine.edu" but purports to be from "Dr Christopher Reber". This email has a Word document attached that includes malware. The email is fraudulent and should be deleted immediately. If you have opened the Word document attachment, please contact the Help Desk immediately.

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