Good fakes look almost identical to genuine emails, and often\u00a0appear to be from companies\u00a0you know, such as:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Amazon<\/li>\n
- eBay<\/li>\n
- PayPal<\/li>\n
- phone companies like O2 and Vodafone<\/li>\n
- courier companies like DHL, and UPS<\/li>\n
- travel companies<\/li>\n
- student finance<\/li>\n
- local companies. Remember criminals\u00a0don\u2019t just\u00a0copy\u00a0large companies.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
![\"o2-phish-image\"](\"https:\/\/blogs.ncl.ac.uk\/isg\/files\/2017\/04\/O2-phish-image.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\nClues to look for<\/h2>\n
- \n
- If it says you\u2019ve ordered a service that you haven\u2019t<\/strong> \u2013 it\u2019s highly likely to be fake. Delete the email, even if it looks convincing. If you want to double-check, use a browser and find their website. From there you can check your online account or contact them.<\/li>\n
- If there\u2019s an attached file you weren\u2019t expecting<\/strong> \u2013 don\u2019t open or even preview it. Attachments\u00a0are used to unleash a virus. They know you might be curious enough to want to look and see what it is. Do not look \u2013 delete it. Absolutely do not \u2018enable content\u2019 or \u2018enable macros\u2019<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
- Check the email address it was sent from<\/strong>. Does it look like the expected sender? Is it readable, or unusual, or sent \u2018on behalf of\u2019 another email account? Note that even if it looks like the right sender, hackers can \u2018hijack\u2019 genuine email accounts \u2013 so look for other clues.<\/li>\n
- Don\u2019t click on links if you have any doubts<\/strong>. The link text you see on the screen might not match the website address it will go to. If you can, hover your mouse over them and the actual website address will appear. Is it a readable, sensible destination for that company?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
If you\u2019re not sure if it is fake or not<\/h2>\n
- \n
- Contact the organisation outside of the email or go to their website independently. From there you can check your online account or contact them.<\/li>\n
- Never \u2018Load remote content\u2019 or \u2018download pictures\u2019 if you have any doubts at all.<\/li>\n
- If it is definitely fake, mark it as junk and delete it. Don\u2019t reply, click links, view attachments or view images.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
If you think you\u2019ve responded to a fake<\/h2>\n
If you\u2019ve previewed or opened an attachment which you now realise is fake, or clicked a link, or allowed \u2018remote content\u2019 or images to be seen in an email that is likely to be fake:<\/p>\n
- \n
- turn the power off your device immediately.<\/li>\n
- if you think your bank details have been compromised, contact your bank\u00a0immediately.<\/li>\n
- contact the Service Desk (it.servicedesk@ncl.ac.uk <\/a>or call x85999)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
A note about your passwords<\/h2>\n
- \n
- Never give out your CAMPUS password (or any other password). No reputable organisation will ask you to do this. Newcastle University IT staff do not need your password to perform maintenance on your account, and will never ask you to ‘verify your details’.<\/li>\n
- If you think your password has been compromised, contact the Service Desk, and change your password.<\/li>\n
- Don\u2019t use the same password for more than one account. Just don\u2019t do it.<\/li>\n
- Try and use a unique password with a mixture of letters, numbers and punctuation.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
We do block most fake messages that are sent to your University email account, as we have ways of identifying them before they reach your Inbox. But\u00a0some\u00a0may still get through to you, unfortunately.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
(Adapted from a post at Kent University :\u00a0https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/isnews\/you-cant-afford-not-to-read-this\/ – but it’s so spot on, I thought I’d share it here) You are probably likely to get\u00a0at least one fake email this week. And it might be very convincing. You need … Continue reading
- If there\u2019s an attached file you weren\u2019t expecting<\/strong> \u2013 don\u2019t open or even preview it. Attachments\u00a0are used to unleash a virus. They know you might be curious enough to want to look and see what it is. Do not look \u2013 delete it. Absolutely do not \u2018enable content\u2019 or \u2018enable macros\u2019<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
- If it says you\u2019ve ordered a service that you haven\u2019t<\/strong> \u2013 it\u2019s highly likely to be fake. Delete the email, even if it looks convincing. If you want to double-check, use a browser and find their website. From there you can check your online account or contact them.<\/li>\n