Safety

Code Maroon is Texas A&M University’s emergency notification system. It sends alerts through text messages, emails, social media, and campus displays to keep students, faculty, and staff informed during urgent situations such as severe weather, safety threats, or other emergencies. Signing up ensures you receive timely updates and instructions to stay safe.

Sign Up for Code Maroon

• Emergency Preparedness
• 12th Man Emergency Playbook
• UPD Crime Prevention and Safety Resources

We need to work together as a community to keep each other safe. Please report if there’s an emergency or other issues occur:

• For emergencies and immediate threats, call 911
• Please also keep ISSS informed about your situation - Contact ISSS
• Use Tell Somebody to report suspicious or concerning behavior or if you or someone you know experiences discrimination or a hate crime.
• Use Title IX for issues related to sexual harassment, sexual violence, or sex-based discrimination
• Non-emergency contact numbers

• Passport, visa, and any other travel related documents
• Copy of I-20 or DS-2019
• Social Security card and EAD card (if applicable)
• Copy of health insurance information
• Contact info for ISSS and your emergency contacts
• Back-up cash or other funding

Set Up Emergency Contacts

• At least 1 person with a U.S. phone number

• At least 1 person who speaks English
• At least 1 person who can translate between English and your native language
• Make sure the individuals you include are the people you want to be contacted if you experience any kind of serious emergency and you cannot call them yourself
• Make sure one of the individuals you name could make decisions or provide a name on your behalf, especially during medical emergencies
• Program at least one ICE (In Case of Emergency) phone number into your cell phone and save it as “ICE”

Share your Emergency Contacts

• Students can add emergency contacts in their Howdy portal
• All J-1 scholars and interns should inform ISSS about their emergency contacts
  • Employees can also add emergency contacts in Workday

Be aware of these common scams:

• Immigration scams: Someone claiming to be a US immigration official or an official from another government.
• Tax scams: Someone claiming to be from the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) saying you owe money.
• Employment scams: Someone claiming to find a job for you if you pay them money (see section below).
• Tuition scams: Someone claiming to provide a tuition discount if you use their service.
• Craigslist scams: Someone claiming they want to buy your item very urgently.
• Apartment rental scams: Someone claiming to want to rent your apartment, with no actual interest in doing so.
• Relationship scams: Someone pretending to be in a dating relationship through text or phone call, who wants money to meet in person.
• Kidnapping scams: Someone calls your parents, grandparents, or a loved one and claims that they have kidnapped you and want ransom money in exchange for your life.
• Home country scams: Someone calls and tells you that they have some damaging information about your family in your home country. They speak in your native language and claim that they will help your family if you send money overseas.
• Social Security Number (SSN) scams: Someone calls and tells you that your SSN has been compromised. They ask you to provide personal information in order to help you.

Phishing Emails

Cyber Attacks Targeting TAMU Duo Accounts

1. If you receive a Duo "push" login request when you aren’t expecting one — especially if you're not actively logging in to an application or system — do not approve it.
2. Review your Duo Setting to make sure you recognize all the enrolled devices.
3. Report any suspicious activity to Help Desk Central (helpdesk@tamu.edu or (979) 845-8300) with the date and time.

Remember to scrutinize all messages and look for signs of phishing attempts. Before logging in to a campus service, always double-check website URLs.

If you have questions about Duo, are unsure if a message is legitimate or identify a phishing attempt, email Help Desk Central at helpdesk@tamu.edu or call (979) 845-8300.

From the Texas A&M Career Center

5 red flags that a job offer might be fraudulent

RED FLAG #1: You never applied for the job 

A recruiter calls or emails, says they found your resume online or through a resume book and tells you that you’re a perfect fit for the position.  Hear them out, but then do some research on your own.  Do they have a website that looks professional?  Can you find info on the internet about this company? Check a map app to make sure their physical address exists and is a real business. 

RED FLAG #2: You need to purchase materials up front 

RED FLAG #3: Vague job description or poorly written correspondence 

RED FLAG #4: Do some basic research 

RED FLAG #5: You are asked for personal or financial information 

If you think you’ve been scammed or might be getting scammed, contact the Career Center immediately at cc_employer@tamu.edu or 979-845-5139 and a staff member will talk with you about your situation. 

Scam Calls

• The person on the phone doesn’t say who they are, or if they do, it’s a fake organization/department.
• Sometimes the phone number is “spoofed”, meaning that it looks like the call is coming from an official agency, such as the IRS, Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) or the police, but it is not.
• They say false information such as, “There is a problem with your taxes/ immigration status.” They don’t provide specifics.
• They may call you in your preferred language.
• They will try to rush you and want you to act quickly.
• They usually demand money or gift cards – often hundreds and sometimes thousands of dollars.
• They might want you to meet with them at a certain place.
• They may threaten you with deportation, blackmail, violence, etc.
• They might tell you to stay on the line and not hang up.
• They may tell you that you must keep the conversation/exchange secret and try to schedule another call at a later date.
• The caller may know your school, phone number, and address.
• They might want to send you money and then demand you purchase things for them.

Phishing Emails

• The sender email address looks strange.
• Spelling or grammar errors in the message
• Included links go to odd websites.
• The email asks you to purchase gift cards or money orders.
• The email asks you to provide credit card information.
• The email asks you for login information.

Duo Login

• You receive a Duo "push" login request when you aren’t expecting one — especially when you're not actively logging in to an application or system. DO NOT APPROVE IT!

• DO NOT provide any personal or financial information to the caller.
  • Personal information: full name, date of birth, etc.
  • Financial information: bank account number, credit card number, Social Security Number, etc.
• DO NOT PAY THE CALLER!!
  • The US government does not accept payments by gift cards.
  • If they want you to pay immediately or to purchase gift cards or a pre-paid debit card, it is scam. DO NOT do it!
• HANG UP THE PHONE!!
• If someone calls stating they need to meet with you in an official capacity, you can ask ISSS to help you verify the authenticity of the call. Inform ISSS by giving us a call at 979-845-1824.
  • If you believe you have received a scam call, it is best to report it to local law enforcement.
  • If you live on the College Station campus, report scams to the University Police Department at 979-845-2345.
  • If you live off-campus in College Station, report scams to the College Station Police Department at 979-764-3600.
  • If you live off-campus in Bryan, report scams to the Bryan Police Department or the Brazos County Sheriff’s Office at 979-361-3888.
  • If you live outside of Bryan/College Station, please report the scam to your local police department’s non-emergency phone number.

Immigration Scams

USCIS (U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services) provides state-by-state information on where and whom to report immigration scams and fraud at www.uscis.gov/avoid-scams/report-immigration-scams.

If you receive a suspicious scam call, gather the following information

• What day and time did they call?
• Who did they say they were?
• What exactly did they say? What did they want you to do?
• Did a transaction occur in person (cash) or electronically (transfer/credit card)

Please contact ISSS or UPD if you get a call like this. To prevent yourself from falling victim to a scam, review information from the USCIS on common immigration scams. For crime prevention and tips, see the Texas A&M Police Department‘s website.

If you receive a phishing email

• Report it! Forward the phishing email to helpdesk@tamu.edu and consider reporting the attack to the police and filing a report with the Federal Trade Commission.
• Passwords: If you have revealed your password, change your password on every account that uses it. For NetID passwords, also report the disclosure to Help Desk Central at 979.845.8300 or helpdesk@tamu.edu so they can be on the lookout for suspicious activity.
• Financial Information: If you have revealed financial information, contact your financial institution immediately and close any accounts that may have been compromised. Watch for any unexplained charges to your account.

If you have paid and/or released sensitive information to a scammer, please do the following

• Inform the police:
  • If you live on the College Station campus, report scams to the University Police Department at 979-845-2345.
  • If you live off-campus in College Station, report scams to the College Station Police Department at 979-764-3600.
  • If you live off-campus in Bryan, report scams to the Bryan Police Department or the Brazos County Sheriff’s Office at 979-361-3888.
  • If you live outside of Bryan/College Station, please report the scam to your local police department’s non-emergency phone number.
• File a report with the Federal Trade Commission
• Follow the steps listed by the Texas Attorney General if you are a victim of identity theft
• Let ISSS know

• Screen your calls – let incoming calls go to your voicemail; then listen to the message to know if it is someone suspicious calling who might be trying to scam you.
• If you are having a phone conversation and think it might be a scam, hang up the call.
• Do not give money, gift cards, or promise to give money.
• Do not meet up with the person.
• Do not tell them any personal or financial information.
• If you feel threatened or unsafe, call 911.
• Monitor/change information–bank account, credit card, online accounts, passwords, etc. depending on the nature of the call; if you see suspicious activity or think you have been the victim of a scam, call your bank immediately!
• You can file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission or USCIS.
• If you receive any unusual demands in the mail, contact ISSS or UPD.
• If you feel upset/anxious/need to talk to someone, contact UHS for information on their counseling services.
• if you receive a call and you are not sure if it is a scam, contact ISSS or UPD for a second opinion.
• Please share this information with your friends to help prevent this from happening to others.