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“Very cheap Macbook” is an offer too good to be true

The problem

Over the last several weeks, an e-mail has been received by K-Staters telling recipients that if they contact the sender, they will receive a “very cheap” Macbook. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but it’s a scam.

Take a look at the e-mail and note some of the factors that should alert you to these kinds of scams.

The e-mail

From: College Students IT Department <pegbrownrahzlf_zr@iw.net> Reply-To: College Students IT Department <pegbrownrahzlf_zr@iw.net>

Subject: MacBook With Valid Student ID Card
To: Student <(Student email address)>

Students,
We have the ability right now to get you a student deal for a very cheap MacBook.

These will be great for this semester. You must have your Student ID Card and  a Valid Student email address.

Please contact us and use your email to allow us to send you the information on receiving your MacBook. You will have to pick it up at our local MacBook store and you will have to show your student ID card.

Here is the information you need. MacBook School Blowout

Please email me with any questions.
Regards,
Clyde Parker.

Student Assembly Team


The signs

The first thing that to notice is that this is a really good deal, probably too good of a deal. Macs are generally pretty expensive, and a free or deeply discounted one is likely a scam. That alone should set off your security alarms.  But just in case it didn’t, let’s take a look at a few other key points of this e-mail.

The e-mail also seems to be asking for personal information, or at least it looks like the next step in the process will require it. The e-mail states that you must have a student ID card and a valid e-mail address. Once they have that, they have reeled you in.

Another clue comes from references to non-existent departments on campus.  The e-mail makes reference to organizations called “College Students IT Department” and “Student Assembly Team,” neither of which exists on the K-State campus. Simply search K-State’s website for names like this if you are unsure.

The next key clue is actually an omission — where is the contact information?  If you wanted to check the legitimacy of this offer, you should be able to call someone or go to their website to find more information about this “great deal.”  The lack of a company name, website, phone number, or any other information you could use to verify its legitimacy should set off alarms in your head.

Next is the sender e-mail address. Note it says “”pegbrownrahzlf_zr@iw.net” (which probably means Peg Brown) but the message is signed “Clyde Parker”.   Often scammers use stolen information or fake names as a way to make themselves look more legitimate.

Finally, if you were looking for more information, they apparently forgot to put it in the e-mail… They say “Here is the information you need:” and then list “MacBook School Blowout”, which provides no useful information whatsoever.

The solution

First and foremost, remember: If it looks too good to be true, it probably is.

Several recipients of this e-mail took appropriate action by calling the “local MacBook store” (the Union Computer Store in this case) to ask if the e-mail was legitimate.

You can also use Google to search for keywords from the suspicious e-mail to see if others have reported it as fraudulent.

Bottom line: If you are unsure about the legitimacy of an e-mail, call someone on campus who may know the answer. In this case the Union Computer Store was the perfect place to call.  In other cases you can call the IT Help Desk (785-532-7722) or your local IT support person.

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