Don't open that strange attachment!

05 Dec 2014

Stay safe from malicious emails

During this time of year with many people shopping and looking for bargains online, scammers will stop at nothing to get your details, often sending out fake emails appearing to come from legitimate companies such as Amazon, Ebay and other well-known online stores. You might receive an email about an order you never made, or a link to a website with bargains which seem too good to be true.

Recently, you may have received emails about payments from unknown people, with spreadsheet files attached. Messages like this are definitely something to be suspicious of, and you should never open them. 

If attachments or links in these emails are opened, they may pose a risk to your identity, your money, your computer or the University network, spreading infections and in some cases hacking accounts and systems.

Always be vigilant of:

• Any emails from people or organisations that do not appear to be completely genuine, or contain attachments that you do not trust or know the origin of. Genuine emails should have some kind of reference that you recognise, such as an exact order number or customer reference which you can check before you open any attachments or links. Delete any suspicious emails.
• Any websites that you are visiting, especially via links from elsewhere. Be sure that you trust the site you will be taken to. You can check a link by hovering over it – the resulting URL should be displayed for you either directly on screen as a ‘hover tip’, or in the bottom left corner of your web browser.

If you see or receive links to any suspicious sites/attachments, please do not visit or open them. You should check that your anti-virus is up to date in the first instance and if you have any concerns, report them to the IT Service Desk.