The holidays often bring more online purchasing, new devices and winter travel. Those activities also create opportunities for scammers and increase the need for strong security practices. A few quick steps now can help protect your information through the break and into the new year.

Watch for Holiday Phishing Scams

Phishing messages impersonating Amazon and other retailers tend to increase in December. Many look convincing, but there are usually signs something isn’t right:

• The sender’s address does not end in @amazon.com.

• The message uses a generic greeting instead of your name.

• The tone is urgent (“Your account is suspended”) to pressure you to react.

• The email asks for passwords or financial details.

• Links don’t point to an official Amazon page when you hover over them.

If something feels off, don’t click.

Go directly to amazon.com or open the Amazon app to review your order history. Suspicious messages can be reported using the Phish Alert Button or forwarded to the reportaphish@udel.edu.

Setting Up a New Device? Re-Enable 2FA (and MFA if needed)

New phones, tablets and laptops are popular holiday gifts—and one of the most common issues we see in January is trouble signing in when two-factor authentication hasn’t been set up on a new device.

Even if your old phone had the authenticator app or received prompts, that setup doesn’t transfer automatically. A new device is treated as a new login, so you’ll need to re-enable two-factor authentication (2FA) to verify your identity. If you use Microsoft 365, you may also need to re-enable MFA.

It only takes a few minutes:

• Set up two-factor authentication on your UD account

• Set up MFA for Microsoft services

Doing this early—before you need quick access—helps avoid lockouts and makes your new device ready to use right away.

When you’re back on campus, you will need to connect your new device to eduroam as well. If you need assistance, you can visit the Ask IT Service Desk in Smith Hall.

Traveling Over the Break

If you’re on the move this season, keep a few security basics in mind:

• Install operating system and app updates before you go.

• Back up important files.

• Avoid public Wi-Fi for sensitive logins.

• Use your own charging block instead of public USB ports.

• Be cautious of travel-related messages that look like airline or hotel updates.

Staying alert during the holiday season goes a long way toward protecting your information. Taking a few minutes to confirm the legitimacy of emails, re-enable authentication on new devices, and follow safe travel practices can help you avoid common security issues. If you have questions or need assistance, the Ask IT Service Desk is here to help.

Photo by Jaunathan Gagnon on Unsplash