Cyber Month Week 1: Spot the trap before you click

Welcome to Week 1 of Cybersecurity Awareness Month at Fleming College! This week, we are focusing on Recognizing Cyber Threats.

Cybercriminals constantly refine their tactics, especially with Artificial Intelligence making scams more convincing than ever. Staying safe starts with knowing what to look out for.

Phishing

Phishing messages try to trick you into acting before you think. Spotting the signs early keeps your credentials and personal information safe.

✅ Learn the 7 red flags of phishing to help you identify suspicious emails, texts, and phone calls.

✅ Job opportunities and postings for on-campus student work are only ever posted to the Evolve Applicant Portal maintained by the Fleming College Human Resources department. Fleming College never sends mass communications about specific job postings. Refer to the Fleming College Career Services page for assistance with student employment at the College or elsewhere.

✅ Grants or bursaries notices will only be sent by our Financial Aid office (FinAid@flemingcollege.ca) or Advancement & External Relations department (alumni@flemingcollege.ca).

✅ Want a more interactive experience? Check this Fleming article out!

AI & Social Engineering

Generative AI tools make it easy for attackers to create hyper-realistic scam emails, deepfake audio, and personalized social engineering messages without typical grammar errors.

✅ Check out 9 ways to spot AI content online to sharpen your eye for machine-generated media.

✅ How cyber criminals are using artificial intelligence (AI) for online threats.

What to Do About a Suspicious Message

If something in your inbox feels off, don’t click links, open attachments, or reply.  Remember:  When in doubt, throw it out!

✅ Verify: Contact the sender directly using a known, trusted phone number or email address; don’t hit reply.

✅ Report: Use Outlook and Report a Phish.

Get Involved & Win

Prize Alert 🎁 Take the Get Cyber Safe Checkup – Complete the Get Cyber Safe Checkup and email a screenshot of your results to cyber-month@flemingcollege.ca for your chance to win a  $50 Amazon Gift Card!

Student Prize Alert 🎁 Can you spot the Phish?  Keep an eye on your inbox and report a phish for your chance to be included in our draw to win 1 of 4 $50 Amazon gift cards.

Staff Prize Alert 🎁 Sign up for our voluntary Cybersecurity Awareness Training and, once completed, you will be included in our draw to win a $50 Amazon gift card.

Did you know?

✅ You can Report a Security Incident  If you suspect your Fleming account or password has been compromised.

✅ Microsoft Defender Antivirus comes free with Windows 11, and there is also a paid subscription version available for macOS, iOS and Android devices.

✅ Text Message Scams (Smishing): You can report scam text messages in Canada by forwarding the message to 7726 (SPAM) on your mobile device.

✅ Phishing Reporting: Reporting suspicious emails helps protect everyone by providing information that helps improve detection and blocking technology.