Phishing is a type of scam where users are directed to a seemingly legitimate Web site and asked to divulge personal information, opening the door for identity theft or illegal transfer of money.

Greg Seibert, director of Security and Compliance for the university, said it appeared as if Kent State was the only university that had been targeted in this latest scam.

“We had one or two calls regarding the issue, and the best advice we could give anyone who has received one of these e-mails is to treat it as fraudulent,” Seibert said.

No bank would ever contact you for this sort of information through e-mail, Seibert said. This was confirmed by Todd Bailey from Huntington Bank’s Corporate Communications division.

“Huntington would never request sensitive information via e-mail for any reason,” Bailey said. “The real key for anyone regarding this type of situation is to be careful with their financial information — if you’re concerned about something you have received, stop into your local branch and ask someone about it.”

People who have received these e-mails should forward them to Huntington Bank at [email protected], so the bank can further tackle the problem, Bailey said.

People who want to know more about phishing scams and their vulnerability can go to security.kent.edu and click on “Advisory Concerning Increases in Phishing Scams Seen at Kent State University,” Seibert said

To learn more about phishing scams, visit www.antiphishing.org/phishing_archive.htm.

Contact general assignment reporter Shelley Blundell at [email protected].