Phishing Email
Hello Student, I am Dr Stephen Howell,I feel comfortable discussing this FEDERAL STUDENT AID,FEDERAL WORK- STUDY opening with you since you were referred by the university chamber of commerce and finance. I am very busy due to this pandemic period and i look forward to set things straight before my arrival,that is why i have asked for your help as my temporary personal assistant. I provide individual and group therapy, coaching, assessment and many University of students with academic difficulties and no prior diagnosis are seen and assessed through the academic screening and assessment process. You have received this email because you have an offer from the office of FEDERAL STUDENT AID (U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION) to work with me while we help Students with disabilities,new school program enrollments and as my temporary personal assistant This is a very simple employment, You will only help me Mail letters, Make payments at retail stores and purchase some Items when needed. This employment only takes an hour a day and 2 to 3 times a week for $400 weekly. You will be paid in advance for all tasks and purchased to be done on my behalf and some of my personal letters and mails will be forwarded to your residence or nearby post office for you to pick up at your convenience. Upon my arrival we will discuss the possibility of making this a long-term employment if I am impressed with your services while I am away. My arrival is scheduled 4TH week of OCT 2020. Please email your Full name, Residential Address to receive packages, Alternate email (different from school email) and Cell # to email below:- Dr Stephen Howell CONTACT ME BACK on my personal email at stewell3991@gmail.com Clinical Counselor Disability Resources and Educational Services(DRES) Federal Student Aid (FSA) Federal Work Study (FWS) You are required to fill the below details Full Name: Full address: City: State: Zip code: Age: Mobile Phone number: Alternative email (different from school email): Await to read from you soon. Warmest regards Dr Stephen Howell.
This and similar work from home, personal assistant, or internship phishing emails have been targeting students. Motives are usually financial, for example stealing usernames and passwords to attempt to redirect financial assistance. There is no "university chamber of commerce" department nor does the University share student information with prospective employers without student consent. Other red flags that point to this being a phishing email include 1) If Dr. Stephen Howell works for DRES, why did he send the email from a personal Gmail account? 2) Anytime the sender wants to switch to a "different from school email," it is a scam. 3) The letter is informal, not directly addressed to the recipient and is a text attachment. 4) Why would a random person contact me unexpectedly about a position without interviewing me and be willing to pay over $200 per hour for what is essentially unskilled labor? If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.