Pitt Information Technology has identified a new email phishing scam targeting the University. This new scam advertises a fictitious Bitcoin job opportunity and asks recipients to respond to an external address using their personal email accounts only. Typically, scammers then attempt to extract money from respondents by convincing them to provide a deposit before beginning their fake employment.  

The following is a sample of the recent scam. If you receive this message (or any message similar to it), please report it as a phishing scam by forwarding the email message as an attachment to phish@pitt.edu. Detailed instructions on reporting scams are available at http://technology.pitt.edu/security/phishing-scams.

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Subject: BITCOIN JOB OPPORTUNITY 

Not familiar with BITCOIN? Then this is an opportunity for you to learn & make money. COINBASE  COMPANY ( A secure platform that makes it easy to buy, sell, and store cryptocurrency like Bitcoin, Ethereum)  seek INDIVIDUALS who can VISIT at least “one” BITCOIN ATM every week for survey.  

Weekly pay is $350. No specific time required as long as work is completed in a timely manner. 

For more information’s, Please Email Coordinator Brian at (external email address) for more information 

NOTE: Candidates should email (only) with their PERSONAL EMAIL Address for consideration. 

Sincerely,

Brian Thompson. 
Hiring Coordinator/Director of Field Operations  
external email address
Coinbase.com 

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Pitt IT strongly recommends that you do not reply to unsolicited emails or emails from unverifiable sources. If you were not expecting to receive such an email, confirm with the sender prior to interacting with the message. If you must interact with the message, avoid clicking on links contained in such emails. These may lead to sites that contain malicious software, or sites that attempt to steal your credentials. If a link looks suspicious, you can hover over the link with your mouse to preview the URL without clicking on it.

In addition, Pitt IT recommends that all students, faculty, and staff install Antivirus and Anti-Malware (Malwarebytes) Protection. Departments can submit a help request to obtain Malwarebytes for multiple machines.

Please contact the Technology Help Desk at 412-624-HELP (4357) if you have any questions regarding this announcement.