E-mail security
How to identify scams via e-mail and protect from phishing
These are useful information for whoever has a UNIVPM email account, to recognize and protect from scams, more and more increasing and hard to identify: it is important to know that you will never receive an email from University structures, CeSMI, SIA or else to update or verify your data (username and password), relative to email or reserved area services.
Attempts of this kind are to be considered illicit or deceitful, also in presence of emails having the address "univpm.it" and may seem coming from known or accredited users.
When there is the necessity to verify your cedentials, you will be directly contacted from the university technical staff, never by mail.
It is recommended and advised not to provide credentials neither by email nor insterting them on interfaces of websites pages of unknown origin: do not answer, do not open links and delete these messages.
These behaviours, also not recommended also in a private setting, can create email disruptions of every university account.
Spam is annoying, but phishing is dangerous. Phishing emails only have one objective: FRAUD.
What are Spam and Phishing
Spam annoys you with e-mails.
Never answer to a spam email. By doing this, you confirm your email account and it is more likely that you will receive more spam emails.
Phishing is dangerous.
Phishing emails only have one objective: fraud.
It is an e-mail sent to you and many other users on the Internet woth a message that tries to deceit the user and reveal its sensitive data, like password, bank information, D.O.B, and more. The attack is sent to you in order to steal your goods, identity or open credit cards and accounts with your name.
Usually they offer something for free or promise goods at a very low price.
The messages received have to be carefully analyzed, all of them contain one or more clue that that message is a scam.
How to identify a scam
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The email is written in caps lock
They try to attract your attention, using words like "Urgent!" or "Important!"
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Awful grammar and spelling
Grammar is wrong because they are in another language and are automatically translated.
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The email address contains an executable attachment
There often are executable attachments that contain viruses, never download an attachment if you do not know the origin
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Request of personal information
Often they ask you to connect to a website. By clickin on the link you may be asked to provide personal information.
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Never do it! Never open links but delete the email.
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Intimidating tone
The emails received often use intimidating tones, for example the interruption of the account in case of missed answer from the user.
What to do to defend yourself
- Do not answer to suspicious mails
- Do not open attachments
- Do not click on the links
- Do not provide personal information
- Delete the messages