Notice: Gift Card Scams

The Information Security Office is urging SLCC employees to remain cautious and alert to email and text message scams involving gift cards. These gift card scams consist of criminals who are impersonating high-level faculty or staff members and asking other employees to purchase gift cards for them with the promise to refund the money at a later time.  

Many of these scams are very simple. Impostors can create a fake email account, that will request an employee’s personal contact information or just send a few words to start a conversation. After a cell phone number or email response is provided, the scammer will begin a dialogue and eventually proposition the employee about purchasing gift cards. Their goal is to get someone to purchase gift cards and to send the codes from the back of the cards.

To better protect yourself, please follow these best practices:

• Check the email address carefully, if it is from an external email it will have a Yellow banner warning across the top of the email.
  • Is it from someone you know?
  • Is it spelled correctly?
  • You can verify college email addresses in the Address Book in your college’s email client?
  • This scam can be done via email or text message. Only your SLCC email account, “name@slcc.edu”, will have the yellow banner warning.

• Call the administrator directly to verify the request, using contact information that you know to be accurate.

Examples of gift card scams and what OIT is doing to assist employees in protecting their emails are available in this Knowledge Base Article. Gift Card Scam Examples

If you have questions, you may contact the OIT Help Desk 801-957-5555