Some campus community members received an email Monday falsely claiming that Cal Poly would be providing up to $4,000 in financial aid assistance to any students and staff who have been financially impacted by COVID-19.
The email came from a student’s account.
University spokesperson Matt Lazier wrote in an email to Mustang News that the email was a phishing scheme and not a legitimate financial aid offer.
“ITS is aware of the email and is responding to it and blocking it,” Lazier wrote.
The email instructed readers to visit a link entitled “Cal Poly COVID-19 Benefits.” It also claimed that Cal Poly was collaborating with Green Dot — a financial technology and bank holding company.
The email has now been removed from campus community member’s inboxes.
Cal Poly’s information security page has information on how to identify various types of phishing emails. They instruct students to call the ITS service desk or to forward emails to abuse@calpoly.edu in order to verify their legitimacy.
