Senior journalist Nidhi Razdan’s public admission of falling prey to a phishing scam, which led her to believe that she had been appointed as a professor at Harvard University, was disconcerting to many of her followers. While some wondered how someone as savvy as Razdan could fall prey to such a scam, others worried about the fate of other students and professionals applying to jobs and universities abroad. We spoke to cyber-security experts to decode the episode and identify red flags to watch out for. 

Never trust unsolicited contact 

“Razdan’s testimony opens with her receiving an unsolicited email from Harvard University after she conducted a talk. Remember that a tense economic environment, where everyone is eager for better pay or opportunities, is an ideal preying ground for hackers and scammers,” explains Prathamesh Sonsurkar, founder of Whitehack OPC. Before acting on an unsolicited email, run basic hygiene checks, such as the domain URL, the spelling and grammar in the email, and whether the email opens with a generic salutation such as Hello User or Dear Customer. These are always red flags. Authentic messages will refer to you by name, suggests Mangesh Sawant, senior vice president at Riskpro.