Online fraud
Online fraud is a growing problem, and it is better to remain constantly vigilant against it. Be careful when surfing the internet!
There are various ways for someone to obtain access credentials and passwords. One example is through emails asking you to enter your username and password on a website that looks like one you normally use, such as Google, Facebook, or your online bank.
- Notify your local user support service or the IT Division (UTS) and explain what has happened.
- Consider how this may have happened. Have you recently entered your username and password on a suspicious website?
- Try to determine which account has been compromised and what access rights that account had in different systems.
- What information may have fallen into the wrong hands? Contact the relevant affected parties.
- Change all your passwords, using a different computer. Change the password for your student or employee account and any other email accounts.
- Block all payment cards immediately if you have stored card information that could be misused.
If someone gains control of your computer, they can misuse, steal, and destroy all the information you have access to in your digital world. It can also become a gateway into the digital systems and resources where you work or study.
- Your computer seems slower than usual or takes longer to start up.
- You cannot log in because someone has changed the password for one or more of the online services you use.
- Unusual pop-up windows appear, for example during startup.
- Unfamiliar icons appear on your toolbar.
- Your antivirus software reports malicious software.
- The light on your laptop’s webcam is on even when you are not using it.
- Unknown files appear on your hard drive.
- You are blocked from online services you normally use because your computer has been blacklisted.
- Disconnect the computer from the internet to prevent further data leakage and misuse of the device.
- Contact user support or someone with IT expertise as soon as possible.
If this happens on your personal computer, also:
- Assess what information may have fallen into the wrong hands and contact the relevant affected parties.
- Run a full manual virus scan of the entire machine. If you are not sure the problem has been resolved, the computer should be reinstalled.
- Use a different computer to change the password for your student or employee account and any other accounts that may have been compromised. This is especially important for the account that receives email notifications about password changes, and for accounts that give you important rights or access to resources at your workplace or place of study.
- Remember to use different passwords for different accounts.
You realize that your computer has been infected with ransomware when you receive a message saying that someone has taken control of your files and that you must pay to regain access to them. You may also discover it by noticing that your files have been locked and cannot be opened.
- Disconnect the computer from the internet to prevent further spread.
- Do not pay the ransom. By doing so, you support criminal activity, and there is no guarantee that you will regain access to your files.
- Contact the user support service of the IT Division.
- If the computer needs to be reinstalled, your documents will be lost. Therefore, restore your files from a backup.
- Sometimes it is possible to recover files from the hard drive, but this is usually quite expensive.
If there is any suspicion that something unusual or improper is going on, the IT Service Desk of UTS should be contacted immediately.