Our IT team has seen a recent increase in sophisticated phishing attempts targeting Young Life. Phishing is when someone uses a deceptive email or message to trick you into clicking a malicious link, opening an unsafe attachment, sharing sensitive information, or giving an attacker access to your account. The examples we’ve seen this week are becoming increasingly convincing and can be difficult to recognize at first glance. Please help us by reporting suspicious activity.

What to look for: 

When you receive an email with a link or an attachment, pause and look for signs that something may not be right:

• Don’t trust a message just because it comes from someone you know. A familiar name isn’t enough. Attackers can impersonate people you know or compromise legitimate accounts. If a request seems unusual, verify it through another method.
• Suspicious links: Always hover over a link before clicking. Does the destination match the organization or service you expect? If it looks suspicious, don’t click it.
• Unexpected attachments: Be cautious with attachments you weren’t expecting, even if the message appears to come from someone you know. If the file name looks unfamiliar, is misspelled, or seems suspicious, don’t open it.
• Something feels off: Pay attention to unusual wording, tone, formatting, or requests that are out of character for the sender.
• Never enter your password because an email suddenly asks you to “verify,” “view,” or “sign in.” Instead, open the landing page or app you would normally sign in on from your browser instead of clicking the emailed link.

Reporting your concerns

Reporting a suspicious message quickly can better help us protect everyone. To submit a report, screen shot the email and send the screen capture to the Connections team at helpdesk@younglife.org. Please don’t reply to or forward a suspicious email.  

Additional MFA requirements

Because of this recent activity, you may experience more frequent login requests when accessing Young Life applications. These additional prompts are an important security measure designed to protect your account and Young Life’s information. If you receive an MFA request that you did not initiate, do not approve it and report it immediately to the Connections Team.

Thanks so much for your partnership in data security as together we help protect our people, our information, and the ministry we’re entrusted to steward. 

The Connections Team