Ever get an urgent email from your boss asking you to help them out of a jam by buying gift cards?
It’s almost certainly a scam.
The messages, which have been prevalent over the last few years but have ramped up in recent weeks, often ask you to send your cell phone number so you can communicate via text message.
“They might say they are getting on a plane or don’t have access to WiFi to get you to send your cell phone number,” said Paul Walker, associate director of information security operations for UAB IT. “Sometimes, someone takes the bait and buys the gift cards. If you give them the gift card number and PIN, they have your money.”
To try to gain your trust, scammers might spoof the email address of a campus leader, but you can usually detect the ruse if you hover over the address — it might be
If you get one of these scam emails, report it as a phish by forwarding to