What is phishing?

Phishing is one of the scamming techniques most used by cyber criminals. It affects many users and entities from both the public and private sector.

With this technique, cyber criminals impersonate a trustworthy entity such as a company to contact the user, with the aim of stealing private information, offering a supposed job, charging them in some way or infecting the computer or electronic device they are using.

This type of scam can happen through several different channels: by email, by SMS, by telephone or through an instant messaging app.

Why do they use the Santillana brand?

Santillana is one of the leading educational companies in Latin America. Because it is a well-known brand in the region, it is susceptible to being impersonated by cyber criminals.

We regularly monitor the Internet for unauthorized uses of the Santillana brand in order to protect our customers. We analyze unauthorized use of Santillana's intellectual property and, if we become aware of any cases, we confront them.

At Santillana, we never ask for any payments to purchase equipment or other materials, management fees or any other concept during our recruitment processes and does not offer jobs through instant messaging applications.

If you are contacted in any way purportedly by Santillana or on its behalf and you have any concerns about the authenticity of the communication, please get in touch with us through our customer support channels. Santillana accepts no liability for any costs or charges that are inappropriately incurred as a result of fraudulent activity.

Most job offer scams can be avoided by being wary of unrealistic promises of payment or jobs that require a payment or deposit to be made. In these cases, users or recipients of offers should exercise extreme caution, as they may even end up personally liable.

What can I do to prevent this type of scam?

Before you do anything else, try to check that the information is genuine. Here are some general tips about how to do this:

• Check whether the sender's number or email is that of the entity they supposedly represent.
• Many phishing emails contain spelling errors due to use of automatic translators. The wording is a good clue when detecting possible scams.
• Before clicking on a link, hover your mouse above it to check which address it would take you to.
• Be careful with any attached files. Analyze attached files before you open them, and if you have any doubts about the honesty of the sender, it is best not to download them.
• Cyber criminals often use a prize or some type of benefit as a way to get your attention. If it looks “too good to be true”, be suspicious.
• The same is true for payments. Before you provide any banking details or authorize any payment, make sure the message is genuine.
• If you receive a job offer on the Internet without having applied for it or having signed up for any such recruitment process, you may be in doubt about its veracity. Seek more information about the job offer before proceeding with any action.
• If after sending an application for a job you are asked to pay money or make a payment under any pretext, do not simply accede to the requests. Analyze the situation carefully as this could be a clear case of fraud.
• Also, if it is asking for information in an urgent or threatening way, it is very likely a scam.

The best weapon you have against phishing is your common sense. If you have any concerns or doubts, don't give any personal information.