The University System of Georgia has seen an increasing amount of fraudulent activity impacting student financial aid. Cyber criminals are using phishing emails and social media scams to gain access to student login credentials, which allows them to make unauthorized changes to direct deposit/banking information and steal financial aid refunds. A recent news story by the Associate Press, “Scammers swipe billions every year and aren’t slowing down”, highlights the alarming fact that Internet and telephone scams are growing exponentially. Criminals are stealing billions from Americans every year and this crime wave will continue to worsen with the advancement of generative AI tools like ChatGPT and Copilot.

One crucial step towards protecting yourself is safeguarding your GHC login credentials. Your password and Duo Security passcodes are all that a scammer needs to access to a wide range of services and sensitive information, including your email, academic records, and financial aid details.

As a college student, you are a prime target for online scams and identity theft. Therefore, it’s essential for everyone to take the following steps to protect their personal information:

• Don’t reuse passwords. Setting up a reputable password manager app makes it easy to manage strong, unique passwords for all your online accounts.
• Never click on an email link asking you to verify or validate your account.
• Job offer scams are another extremely common phishing tactic. Always research a company before applying for a job and never respond to unsolicited email offer for a work from home job.
• Look for the warning signs of phishing when using email.
• Never share your Duo Security passcodes to anyone.

Stay safe, stay informed, and remember – your security is in your hands!