Phishing Mail Targeted University of Western Ontario

University of Western Ontario (Canada) has asked computer users to delete and not to reply to an e-mail scam that appears as helpful advice.

The e-mail starts with 'Dear uwo.ca email user' and asks the campus community to divulge username and password.

Information and Technological Services (ITS) of UWO informs that it does not ask users to give their passwords or any private information by e-mail and it is not associated with this scam.

Moreover, for helping computer users to detect spam and phishing mail scams from official ITS e-mail communications, ITS e-mails and attacked phishing mails are displayed on the website of ITS so that the users are assured that the mail they get is authentic before responding to it.

ITS reveals that the e-mail asks users to click on the subject to view the complete text of the message. In addition, ITS has suggested that a mail subject line which begins with SPAM should be taken as spam unless the ITS Support Centre informs you otherwise. As per ITS, authentic mail communication from account of @uwo.ca can never be spam.

Other subject lines that indicate danger and have created havoc in Campus during February 2009 are Urgent on your Email!!!, [Spam?], **Confirm Account Update**, Web-E-News [http://www.kings.uwo.ca/] Web Email Account Update!!, IT Help Center Support Teams etc.

The official site of ITS has provided some standard subject lines that can assist the users in distinguishing between phishing and authentic campus mails. Subject lines such as "Alumni - Your UWO email account will expire soon Apart from these, Non-Alumni - Your UWO email account will expire soon, Wireless Access Revoked," are some sent by the campus.

It asks users that if they get a mail which claims to be from ITS and not displayed on its authentic site, then please call the ITS Customer Support Centre at 5196613800. In addition, it also ask users to forward phishing mails to http://www.uwo.ca/its/doc/hdi/email/forwardwithheaders.html) link.

Related article: Phishing With A Redirector Code

» SPAMfighter News - 3/20/2009