The University's IT Services team have warned students and staff to be on the alert for sophisticated email scams and phishing messages, following last week's 'Educational Grant Information' bogus communication. The email was an attempt to get students to pass on bank details. If you think you might have been tricked by this - please contact your own bank as a matter or urgency.

The email message, carrying the UofG crest, looked as if it was from the University's Finance Department. It was not.

IT Services say the bogus email targeted approximately 5000 students on Wednesday last week.  It was spotted by the security systems and action was taken both to block it, and to block access to the website the email referenced.

IT's security expert said the two, main defences against email scams and phishing attempts are:

  • Robust filtering of inbound email.  IT Services filter out vast quantities of spam/scam/virus emails.  However, due to the requirement to allow genuine email to get through, it's inevitable some 'spam' will get thru. Probably 90% of all the email traffic sent to the University is spam...or worse, and is blocked at the outset.
  • Awareness.  Almost every spam/scam is different and IT Services try to get people used to spotting what these things have in common, as opposed to focusing too much on any specific mail.  The current advice from IT Services is here - please take time to have a look:

    www.gla.ac.uk/services/it/informationsecurity/secureyourself/#/email

 

 

First published: 29 June 2016

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