As we enter the holiday season, be on high alert for cybercriminals trying to get you to share your personal information (e.g., user IDs/passwords) by sending you a text (smishing) or impersonating a company representative (vishing) and asking you to click on links or visit websites. As a reminder, the IT Service Desk will never contact you for your password or ask you to visit any websites to click on links or download information.
If someone calls you claiming to be from Houston Methodist IT with requests for information, it’s suspicious and you should contact the Service Desk immediately at 832.667.5600 or email it-securityservicesteam@houstonmethodist.org. Please provide as many details as possible, such as the name of the requester and the websites they asked you to visit.
Cybersecurity Tips to Stay Secure
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If someone is calling you claiming they are from Houston Methodist IT, verify who they are and the phone number they are calling from. If it appears suspicious, tell them you will call them back through the IT Service Desk to ensure that you’re speaking with legitimate representatives.
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Never click a link within a text, email or search result from someone you don’t know or can’t confirm.
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Validate emails from senders within Houston Methodist. Cybercriminals can easily imitate the email addresses of our executives to get us to click links.
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Save and use favorites and bookmarks to valid sites instead of following the provided links.
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If you receive a suspicious email or text, don’t ignore or delete it. Report it! When you report a phish, it signals our system to remove it from the mailboxes of other Houston Methodist team members.
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Click the PhishAlarm button in the Outlook toolbar. (On smaller screens, select the three dots in the upper right corner to view the option). You can also click the Report Suspicious button in the External Sender header (automatically visible in any email from outside HM).
