The advancement of technology is constant in today’s society, but it’s not perfect. Every day individuals are at risk for scams and viruses. Luckily, here on campus, University Information Technology (UIT) is here to help! Wyatt Gage, Student Employee at UIT explained how students, staff, and faculty can spot phishing emails, scams, viruses and what kinds of services UIT provides.

“UND does send out fake phishing emails,” Gage said. “To help show students what phishing emails look like. If they click on the link in the email, it will tell them that this was a test phishing email and they should be careful.”

The test emails are to demonstrate to students what real phishing emails can look like if they ever receive any. Phishing emails can be spotted quickly when educated on their specific features.

“Watch out for random capitalizations, weird fonts, poor grammar, confusing long links and if the subject line has a lot of punctuation like overuse of exclamation points,” Gage said. “That’s usually a sign that it’s a phishing email.”

Clicking on a link in a phishing email can possibly download unwanted viruses. If you ever spot a phishing email or think you may have received one, report phishing emails to [email protected]. For students worried about virus protection, there are free, as well as paid, antivirus software students, staff and faculty can obtain. For the list of antivirus software, go to campus.und.edu/campus-services/uit.

Another thing that individuals should be aware of is scams.

“We recommend that individuals stay on trusted websites, avoiding any third-party websites,” Gage said. “As well as using well-regulated websites.”

UIT provides many different methods of helping individuals with their problems.

“We offer remote help, where we can view your screen and help you that way if you are not able to come in,” Gage said.”We also take walk-ins. If the problem is more severe, you can check your computer in, and we can give you a temporary one until yours is fixed. We also provide damage repair.”

UIT works with Apple, MAC, PC, and phones. There are several employees at UIT that are Apple certified and have the knowledge to help with more severe Apple issues.

“ResNet is also available to help, “Gage said.“They can assist students if they have any Wi-Fi issues while living on-campus as well as provide other services, like Network login support.”

Most services at UIT are free of charge for students, staff, and faculty. Individuals may be charged if replacement of parts due to damage are needed.

“If parts are needed for repair,” Gage said. “The individual would only need to pay for the part (s). The installation is free.”

UIT is located at Chester Fritz Library Room 133. Individuals with any questions or concerns can contact UIT at 701.777.222 or email them at [email protected]. UIT is opened Monday-Thursday 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Friday 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Saturday noon to 4 p.m. and Sunday 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. ResNet is located at Wilkerson Commons Room 170. For questions or concerns, contact them at 701.777.3424 or email them at [email protected].