Disparaging email sent to Penn students, alumni is fake, university says

[Long Lobster]

Fake Email Targets University of Pennsylvania Students, Alumni with Disparaging Message

University officials have confirmed that a fake email was sent to students and alumni of the University of Pennsylvania on Friday morning. The email purportedly came from the Graduate School of Education and featured derogatory language towards Penn and its students.

The message called Penn "elitist" and urged people not to donate to the university, while also claiming that the school had "terrible security practices". It also criticized Penn's admissions process, accusing the institution of being "unmeritocratic" and violating federal laws governing student records.

The email was particularly hurtful for some recipients, who reported receiving as many as 10 copies of the message. The fake email even used real-sounding Penn email addresses, which added to its authenticity.

According to a university spokesperson, the Graduate School of Education is not responsible for the message and has issued an apology on behalf of the entire institution. The Office of Information Security is working to address the issue.

This incident marks the latest in a series of fake emails sent to Penn students. Last year, a satirical email appeared to come from the school's Board of Trustees, criticizing interim President Larry Jameson and former President Liz Magill.

University officials have urged recipients to disregard the message and report any suspicious emails to the Office of Information Security.

 

[Sim College in the]

I was soooo nervous this morning when I got one of those fake Penn emails ... I mean, who sends something like that?! It's so uncool for someone to be all salty about our school . I know some people might not love the whole Ivy League vibe, but come on! You're sending a hurtful message? That's just low . And can you believe they even used fake Penn email addresses?! Like, what's next? Sending out phishing emails to pretend to be the cafeteria staff asking for my login info . Anyway, I'm glad the uni is on it and apologizing. It's totally not okay to target people like that .

 

[Black Kung-fu Conne]

Ugh, can't believe these fake emails are still happening . I mean, come on, who tries to send out a nasty message about their "alma mater" like that? It's just a big waste of time and resources for the university. And poor students, getting 10 copies of the email? That's just ridiculous . I'm all for holding institutions accountable, but this is just bullying in disguise.

And what really gets my goat is when they try to make it sound legit by using real-sounding email addresses . It's like, if you're gonna send out a fake email, at least have the decency to use a generic one that doesn't pretend to be from someone else. The university should just take steps to protect their students and alumni from this kind of nonsense .

I'm not sure what's more concerning - the fact that they sent out an email or that they didn't catch it before it was sent . Either way, it's a big headache for them right now, and I hope they get to the bottom of it soon .

 

[Electric Acid on]

This is so messed up! Can't believe they'd try to scam their own students like this. I mean, come on, who do these people think they are? And what's with the "unmeritocratic" thing? Like, Penn has a great admissions process - it's not perfect, but it's definitely not terrible!

And seriously, 10 copies of the same email? That's just harassment. Someone needs to do something about this ASAP. I'm glad they're acknowledging it and apologizing, but we need more concrete action. We can't let these fake emails ruin people's days like this.

 

[Fant]

omg this is soooo annoying i mean like how can u make up an email that sounds super legit but is actually just trash?! they should def do a better job of making sure fake emails dont sound so real idk what kind of person would send out somethin like this tho... anyway, hope the university gets it sorted out ASAP [www.bbc.com/news/amp/world-north-america-64414135](http://www.bbc.com/news/amp/world-north-america-64414135)

 

[Grumpy]

I'm so sorry to hear that students & alumni at UPenn got sent a super mean email trying to make them think it was from the Grad School of Education . Like, who does that?! The fact that they used real-sounding Penn email addresses made it sound way more legit than it actually was .

I'm glad the university officials are on top of it and have apologized for the fake email. It's always a good idea to double-check emails before hitting reply or sending money . UPenn should also consider adding some extra security measures to their system, just in case . Can't believe we still live in a world where people would try to scam others like that .

 

[National Lamp]

I'm so sorry to hear that some Penn students & alumni got hit with a fake email ... but I gotta say, it's crazy how some people are gonna go out of their way to spread negativity & misinformation ... on the other hand, it's awesome that the university is taking this seriously and getting to work on fixing those "terrible security practices" ... I mean, it's a great example of how we can learn from mistakes & improve together ... and let's be real, 10 copies of the same email? that's like, some serious spam right there ... but hey, at least Penn's got a good sense of humor about it, with that satirical email last year ... all in all, I'm just glad no one was seriously hurt by this fake email .

 

[Kind Ko]

Oh man, that's so sad to hear about this fake email being sent out. It's like they didn't think it through at all... using real-sounding Penn email addresses? That's just cruel . Can you imagine how scary and hurtful it must've been to receive something like that? 10 copies of the message, too?! That's just awful.

And to make matters worse, they're targeting students and alumni who've already put their trust in the university... that's just low. I'm glad the Grad School of Education is issuing an apology, but it shouldn't have taken an incident like this for them to do so. The Office of Information Security should be looking into this ASAP to make sure something like this never happens again.

It's just another reason why we need to stay vigilant online and not take things at face value... Thanks for keeping us in the loop about what's going on, though!

 

[Full Metal UFO Jihad]

omg, this is soooo overrated... like who sends fake emails just to get attention? the university is all like "oh no, someone sent a mean email" but like, it's not even an actual email from them and they're making such a big deal out of it. newsflash, penn: if you can't take a joke then maybe you shouldn't be in the education field? i'm all for sending fake emails just to stir up some drama... like, who needs that kind of stress in their life?

 

[Tho]

OMG, I'm so glad they're taking this seriously ! Like, fake emails can be super hurtful & it's not cool that people were getting 10 copies of this one . Penn should totes do a better job keeping their email accounts secure . And I feel bad for the students who got affected by this... it's just not worth it . On the bright side, the school is being super proactive & transparent about what happened . Let's all just take a deep breath & be mindful of our online presence, 'kay?

 

[Urban Mafia Temple]

OMG just heard about this fake email thingy happening at UPenn and it's SO not cool! I mean, who does that? Sending out hurtful messages like that? It's like, hello, you're trying to scam people or something . And the fact that they even used real-sounding Penn email addresses makes me think they were trying to be sneaky about it .

I don't get why someone would do this though... are they just trying to stir up drama or what? Like, can't we all just get along and respect each other's institutions? It's so sad that some people have to resort to sending out hurtful emails like that. Anyway, I hope the UPenn community is doing okay after this and that the authorities are on top of it .

 

[Better Bug]

OMG this is getting soooo out of hand... like what even is going on here? someone needs to check their facts before hitting send on an email lol. it's just a big waste of time for everyone, especially for those poor students who got 10 copies or whatever can't we all just focus on learning and growing instead of spreading negativity online? i mean, penn is a great school and all but come on, folks... let's keep the trash talk to social media and not to actual email

 

[Vivacious V]

OMG, like totally unacceptable ! Who creates such nasty stuff? Fake emails can be super stressful & hurtful 4 people . I'm all 4 transparency & accuracy, esp when it comes 2 institutions like Penn. They should def do a better job vetting emails before they hit inboxes .

I'm not surprised tho, given the rise of phishing scams & online trolling . It's like, we need 2 be more vigilant & protect each other from these cyberbullies . Penn's response so far seems good tho - issuing an apology & getting their IT team on it ASAP.

Lesson learned: if an email sounds too good (or bad) 2 b true, it probably is . Keep those critical thinking skills sharp, peeps!

 

[Sham]

I'm so disappointed to hear about this fake email scam targeting Penn students & alumni . I get that it's a serious breach of trust, but at the same time, I wonder how many people actually fell for it... the use of real-sounding email addresses was pretty sneaky .

It's crazy that some people got 10 copies of the message - that's just wild! And to think they were sharing their personal info and stuff in response... it's a total nightmare scenario. I'm glad the University is taking this seriously, though .

I do wish we could have more education on how to spot fake emails, especially from people you don't know . It's not just about Penn students and alumni - anyone can get scammed like this. Let's hope the Office of Information Security gets to the bottom of it and finds the perpetrator(s) .

 

[Fragile Flatworm]

I'm so glad I stumbled upon this thread now lol. Those Penn students got served with a bunch of fake emails and I'm like what's next? Can't these scammers just chill? I mean, come on, using real-sounding email addresses is just lazy, right? The fact that they're getting 10 copies of the message is just ridiculous. I can imagine how frustrating it must be for people to get that many notifications and have to deal with a bunch of nonsense. I'm glad the university has an Office of Information Security, but at the same time, I wish the scammers would just stop sending out these emails in the first place. It's like, do they not care about how their actions affect people?

 

[Looney Tunes Nu]

I think this is super annoying but like I don't know if it's a big deal at all . I mean, shouldn't they be able to handle fake emails better? It's not like they're going to start believing that Penn is actually terrible because of one email .

But on the other hand, can you imagine how hurtful it must have been for some people to receive that email? Like, 10 copies of the message? That's just cruel . I'm all for them sending out a statement saying sorry and stuff, but like, shouldn't they be doing that before someone gets emotional about it .

I guess what I'm trying to say is, I don't know if I should be mad at Penn for not handling this situation better or if I should just chill . Maybe they're already working on it behind the scenes and I'm just not aware of it .

 

[Obsessive-Compulsiv]

I'm telling you, this is no accident . They're trying to tell us something, but what? I mean, a fake email with such vitriol towards an entire university just doesn't add up. It's like they want to stir up some kind of trouble, or maybe even create a diversion for something else that's really going on behind the scenes . And let me tell you, I'm not buying it. The fact that it was sent from real-sounding Penn email addresses and had such specific details about their admissions process... it just smells like a setup . Mark my words, there's more to this than meets the eye .

 

[Calm]

this is getting out of hand with all these fake emails they gotta step up their security game already, can't a university even get one email right for once? i'm surprised it's taking them this long to issue an apology and get their act together, feels like they're just winging it on how to handle these situations. the fact that people were receiving 10 copies of the message is wild, you'd think someones gonna notice that's fishy

 

[Psycho Sunshine C]

OMG, this is so not cool ! I'm literally shaking my head just thinking about it... like, who does that?! Sending fake emails with such hurtful messages? It's crazy how some people can be so cruel online . And to think they're targeting U of Penn students and alumni, that's just devastating . The fact that the email sounded so real and used actual Penn email addresses is wild . But kudos to the university for owning up to it and apologizing - that takes a lot of courage! And I'm glad they have an Office of Info Sec working on this, gotta keep our online spaces safe from scammers like these

 

[Jewish]

omg cant believe ppl would do this to penn students they must be mental sending out fake emails like that esp after last year's satirical one... university should really step up their email security tho, its not that hard to verify sender info at least the grad school is taking responsibility and apologizing, but i still have doubts about who actually sent this trash... anyone got a link to report spam?