When you receive an ISU Emergency Alert, you can verify that it is a legitimate notification by following the steps outlined in this article.

Before You Begin

This article discusses notifications sent through the ISU Emergency Alert system. This system is designed to notify campus in the event of an emergency situation that threatens the life and safety of those at Illinois State University. For more information, including details on how to sign up and change your notification options, refer to the following article: ISU Emergency Alert System.

How do I know if an alert I received is legitimate?

Any ISU Emergency Alert will be coming from "ISU Emergency Alert" <emalert@ilstu.edu> so when it is displayed, it will appear by name, name and email, or just the email depending on the email client you are using.

Compare the Message with Multiple Sources

When you receive an ISU Emergency Alert, compare the content of the message to other copies of the message you may have received. This is the best way to verify the authenticity of an ISU Emergency Alert you receive.

For example, if you received the message as both an email and an SMS text message on your cell phone, compare the two messages. If they have the same content, then you can be confident the message is legitimate.

Shortly after a message is sent by the ISU Emergency Alert system, it will also be posted to the Illinois State home page at http://www.ilstu.edu/. You can compare the message you received to the message posted on the University home page to verify its authenticity.

You Will Receive Email ISU Emergency Alerts

You will automatically receive an email message each time an ISU Emergency Alert is sent. All members of Illinois State are automatically signed up to receive this notification. You can add more contact methods, including phone numbers, SMS text, and an alternative email address as well, so that you are notified in several ways.

Always the Same Sender/From Address for Email Alerts

ISU Emergency Alert email messages will always be sent From: the following address:

• emalert@ilstu.edu <emalert@ilstu.edu>
   

Always the Same Phone Number for Voice Alerts

ISU Emergency Alert phone calls will always be placed from the same phone number:

• 309-438-9361

This phone number may be formatted differently depending on your phone.

Always the Same Code for Text Alerts

ISU Emergency Alert text messages can be from either of the following numbers:

• 67283 OR 226787

This phone number may be formatted differently depending on your phone.

Acknowledgment Requested

The message might request that you acknowledge that you have received the notification.

• Email messages will sometimes include a link that says "Please click here to acknowledge receipt of this message".
• Text messages will sometimes ask that you reply with the word 'Yes' to indicate you have received the message.
• Phone messages will sometimes ask that you press '1' to indicate that you have received the message.

When you acknowledge the message you received, it prevents additional messages about the same problem from being sent to you by the same contact method. For example, if you acknowledge an email you received, you will not get a second or third email for the same ISU Emergency Alert. Acknowledging an ISU Emergency Alert also helps the University evaluate the system in terms of its performance and reliability.

How to Get Help

• Technical assistance is available through the Technology Support Center at (309) 438-4357, by email at SupportCenter@IllinoisState.edu, or by Live Chat at Help.IllinoisState.edu.