It’s National Scams Awareness Week (21-25 May) – a timely reminder to be safe, be aware and consider email security.
Email is one of the most common communication methods between CSU and students, which means good email security is a must.
We are seeing an increase of incidents where CSU students and staff are receiving unsolicited emails, which on first glance may appear to be from a legitimate organisation.
Unsolicited emails generally contain false or misinformation with the intention of provoking a response from the recipient. Spam and phishing emails usually request you perform an action, such as clicking a link that will install software in the background, or asking you to verify personal details.
So, what should you be looking for?
Beware if you receive an email with any of the following:
- content that uses poor English, spelling and grammar
- an attempt to create a sense of urgency in the message
- sender requests you click a link or provide confidential information online
- sender’s email address does not appear legitimate. You should be able to check the sender’s email address if they’re from outside the University and not in your contact list.
Beware an email address can be faked and therefore cannot always be trusted. Check for typos or slight differences in email addresses compared to what you would expect from CSU emails. You can also check the links in emails before clicking by hovering your mouse, or by pressing and holding on the link.
