Institutions should be aware that phishing emails are now targeting the academic community. JISC legal has already received phishing mail, as have many other institution based email accounts. Phishing emails are designed to steal personal data. They will prompt you to supply personal information either in replying to the email, or direct you to another website where you will be asked to provide personal data. Phishing emails are unsolicited, and any reply may be directed to a webmail address. You are likely to see random capitalisation and other errors within the messages. Resting the mouse over a suspicious website link can sometimes reveal a different true web address. Please be wary of providing any personal information online unless through a trusted source. Any suspicious emails should be reported to your I.T. Services department.
(08/06/09)