RBWM regularly receive spam emails. These tend to be nearly identical messages sent to numerous recipients by email.
Clicking on links in these email may send users to phishing websites (which gather information such as usernames and passwords), or to sites that are hosting malware (short for malicious or malevolent software, which is used by hackers to disrupt computer operation, gather sensitive information or gain access to private systems)
On occasion private email accounts e.g. Yahoo are accessed by hackers. Then the contact details associated with the account will be harvested and used to generate more spam emails.
How do I know I've received a spam email?
The email may be from someone you do not recognise. If you are not expecting the mail and there is very little content in there other than a URL link to an unknown website, it is almost certainly a spam email.
Even if the email is from a known sender, remember their email account may have been hacked. Again there may be unusual content and almost certainly a URL link or an image.
The key criteria is if the email is unexpected or the content seems out of context and there's a link or image in there that you are encouraged to click on.
What if I think its spam?
1. If you are concerned, forward the email to [email protected]
2. Delete the email from your inbox, without clicking on any of the content within it (URL links or images).
3. As long as you haven't followed any links, that's all you need to do.
What if I've clicked on the links?
1. Immediately disconnect your computer from the network by unplugging the network cable from the back of the machine.
2. Raise a Service Desk incident by ringing extension 6000, option 1.
3. ICT will arrange to have the machine cleaned of any viruses that may be on there.