Phishing - Don't Believe Everything You Read

Just because you read it on the internet doesn’t mean its true. This statement definitely applies to unsolicited email ('spam'). One common type of spam which tries to trick a user into giving away personal information is called Phishing. The most common pretend to be from banks that want you to ‘verify your account information’ and sometimes even threaten that your account will be disabled if you do not comply. In reality, you are directed to a site that looks a lot like the bank’s website, but is typically just a malicious server that collects usernames and passwords. Here are some tips to avoid identity theft through Phishing:

Do not click on links received in emails; they can be deceiving. Instead, open your web browser and manually type in the URL you wish to visit.

To prevent your email client from executing malicious code, the IT Security Office suggests you display your email as text-only. Read this Knowledge Base article for more details: In Windows, how do I force my email client to display mail as text-only?

Think logically about what the message states; what good would it do a bank for you to verify your login credentials? If there is any doubt, forward a copy of the email to the company and ask them to verify that the message is legitimate.