Phishing is a form of online scam where criminals send legitimate looking emails in hopes of obtaining sensitive information, such as usernames and passwords. These emails can be particularly convincing because they will use the university's logo or provide links that look like a university link. 

Sometimes the purpose is to have the unsuspecting victim click on a link that will then ask them to enter credentials. Or, the aim may be to download a malicious file or spyware. 

It can be difficult to determine what is a real email and what is a phishing email. Here are a few things to remember: 

• Neither OU Libraries or OU IT will ever ask for your password by email.
• Instead of clicking on links in an email, type the address into a browser
• Don't download any attachments unless you know the sender of the email
• Be careful of emails labeled "Urgent" or "Important Notice"; these tactics try to take advantage of high stress situations.

When you need to change your password, visit http://accounts.ou.edu.

For more information on phishing emails visit https://itsupport.ou.edu/TDClient/35/Norman/KB/ArticleDet?ID=231&SIDs=339