date and time icon Mon, 14 Oct 2024

Reminder on phishing emails

Please remember to be vigilant if you receive an email asking for tuition fee payments - this is likely to be a malicious phishing email attempting to scam you. Phishing emails are malicious messages designed to trick you into divulging personal information.

Some examples of recent phishing emails sent to Edinburgh Napier students include:

  • "Microsoft Notice From Edinburgh Napier University”
  • “Edinburgh Napier University Tuition Fee Outstanding Payment"

These emails are not from the University and should be reported as phishing through the Report Message tab in Outlook and deleted. If you can't see the tab, please report through the IS Service Desk.

Under no circumstances should you reply to or forward these emails. Remember, you can use our 'Contact Us' information to get in touch with our teams directly.

If you have replied to the messages or divulged any personal information, please contact the IS Service Desk. You may be at greater risk of further phishing or further fraudulent activity and we urge you to take the following protective measures:

  • If you have used the information you provided in security questions for accessing any of your accounts or online services such as banking, please change these as soon as possible with your service provider.
  • If any of the information you provided is used in the passwords you use to access accounts and online services, please change these as soon as possible with your service provider.
  • If you receive an unsolicited email, letter, text or phone call asking for personal information, never reveal any passwords, login details or account numbers until you are certain of the identity of the person making the request. Please do not click on any links you do not recognise in emails. Contact the provider yourself directly, either online or by other means that you have used previously, to follow up the unsolicited contact.
  • If you think you have been a victim of fraud you should report it to Action Fraud, the UK’s national fraud and internet crime reporting centre.

We also recommend that you are vigilant against any suspicious activity on your bank and other accounts and contact your provider if you have concerns.

Protecting the University from such fraudulent acts requires everyone to be vigilant. Email is one of the most common routes for such attacks and you should avoid clicking on links or opening attachments from unknown senders. You should also be cautious when opening emails from a known sender such as a lecturer, as in some cases scam emails appear to come from someone you know.

Further guidance on dealing with suspicious emails can be found on the National Cyber Security Centre website. You can also find information from the UK Government about phishing, protecting yourself and reporting unusual activity on the gov.uk website.

Your safety is our priority and we have more information about staying safe online on our IT Support pages.

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