Be Alert for Phishing During Leadership Transitions
As we transition to new leadership, it’s crucial to remain vigilant against potential scams. Scammers often exploit periods of change to impersonate executives and trick employees into sharing sensitive information or transferring funds. Below are some key points to help you stay protected.
What to Look For
- Impersonation: Be wary of emails or messages that appear to come from new executives requesting urgent actions like wire transfers or access to confidential data.
- Manipulation: Scammers may use publicly available information about our new leadership to create convincing messages.
- Urgency and pressure: Scammers often create a sense of urgency, pressuring you to act quickly without verification.
- Targeting key departments: Finance, Human Resources and TSG are particularly vulnerable.
- Exploiting the transition period: During leadership transitions, employees may be less vigilant, making scams more likely.
How to Protect Yourself
- Be cautious of sudden emails asking for money transfers, gift cards or invoice payments. Look for anomalies like new deposit information or irregular billing schedules.
- Check the sender's name and email address and verify it is correct. Confirm requests through another method like calling a trusted phone number.
- Beware of urgent language. Scammers often demand immediate action in the hopes you will not verify the request.
What To Do If You Receive a Suspicious Email
- Report any suspicious emails you receive at your Carilion email address using the Report Phish button in your email menu bar.
- Occasionally we send phishing simulations that are used to evaluate the potential impact of a real phishing attack. Report any emails that match the tactics described above.
- If you accidentally clicked on a link within a suspected phish, call the Technology Service Center at 540-224-1599 (71599) right away to report it.
Let’s remain vigilant in safeguarding our organization from potential threats. Together, we can ensure a secure environment for our patients and staff!
When there’s a change in leadership, scammers may pretend to be new executives to trick employees into sharing sensitive information or sending money.
Support departments such as Finance, Human Resources and Information Technology/TSG are often targeted. If you work in these areas, be careful with requests to access private information.
Confirm online requests by calling a trusted phone number, especially if the email address looks strange or if the message sounds urgent. Report suspicious emails right away.
