Cybercriminals are trying new ways to steal money and data and exploit the Nebraska Medicine name.
Thursday afternoon, several Nebraska Medicine physicians received fraudulent text messages pretending to be from Nebraska Medicine CEO Jim Linder, MD. In the messages, the criminals ask for help in recognizing employees by buying gift cards from local stores. This is a common trick used to steal from people who believe they are corresponding with someone they know.
This technique of targeting specific people based on who they are or where they work is called “spear phishing.” If successful, spear phishing can lead to the theft of money, data or security of the network.
Anyone receiving messages like this by phone or email should report it to UNMC/ Nebraska Medicine Information Security. If med center colleagues receive a suspicious email through their work account, use the “report phish” button in Outlook.
Spear phishing also can target personal email addresses, so be on the lookout there and report/delete those suspicious emails. If anyone receives a fraudulent text or phone call, do not respond. Instead, report immediately to the IT Help Desk at 402-559-7700.
In this case, the fraudulent message originates from the phone number 347-234-9047; however, scammers change numbers regularly, so it is important to be on constant alert.