Fake Credentials, Real Risks: The Growing Threat of Spoofing

Signs of Spoofing in Higher Education

In the age of artificial intelligence, spoofing in higher education has become more sophisticated, making it a serious threat to the industry. From fraudulent transcripts to deceptive emails, spoofed items can appear legitimate, especially at first glance. That’s why it’s difficult to spot fakes — and important to learn how to combat spoofing.

What Are the Signs of Spoofing?

In order to combat spoofing, it’s important to understand its forms. Here are five signs that a transcript or email containing a transcript may be spoofed.

1. Formatting issues or inconsistencies within the document. This includes misaligned logos or seals, unusual GPA formatting, and missing registrar information.
2. Missing security information, such as digital signatures. Also check for other signs of security tampering, like if it’s a screenshot or scanned copy of an “official” document.
3. Suspicious sender information. Keep an eye out for lookalike domains, such as slightly misspelled email addresses (e.g., registrar@universty.edu) or reply-to addresses that differ from the sender.
4. Urgent or unusual requests. Look for phrases like “process immediately” or “urgent action required” and possible serious consequences, such as claims that a student’s account is at risk.
5. Links and attachments that don’t match expectations. This includes login pages requesting credentials outside normal systems and unexpected attachments.

Note the sender’s misspelled email address, urgent request for action, and website link not affiliated with the institution.

Note the misaligned logo and the Registrar’s missing signature.