E-mail spoofing is used to make you believe the e-mails you receive are from a reliable source. Once you click on a link in the e-mail, viruses and spyware may attempt to steal private information.
What should you do?
- Do not click on the link.
- Click on the delete button.
- Change your password.
Signs of a Spoofed E-mail
- Misspelled words (i.e., Wellcome has two "L's" in it).
-
Receiving “system undeliverable” messages from an unknown e-mail address. Spoofing occurs when someone that has you in their address book has a virus and it sends out mass e-mails to other people (pretending to be from you) with the virus attached.
These "System Undeliverable" messages from unrecognized e-mail addresses occur when the virus either tries to send itself to an invalid e-mail address or was blocked by the receiving party. The error message was sent back to you because your address was "spoofed" in the "From" field.
Real Example
Below is an actual spoofed e-mail that was received at UNCW.
From: helpdesk@uncw.edu [mailto:helpdesk@uncw.edu]
Sent: Thursday, May 15, 2008 3:08 PM
To: undisclosed-recipients
Subject: WELLCOME TO THE NEW UNCW WEBMAIL
Dear E-mail Users,
The new Uncw? Webmail is a fast and light-weight appliction to quickly and easily access your e-mail. We are currently upgrading our data base and e-mail center. We are deleting Uncw? Webmail to create more space for new email.
To prevent your email from closing you will have to update it below so that we will know that it's a present used email.
***********************************************
FILL THE FOLLOWING TO CONFIRM YOUR IDENTITY
User ID: ......... .....
E-mail Password : ...............
Choose a Secret Question : ...............
Choose a Secret Answer : ...............
***********************************************
Warning!!! Account owner that refuses to update his or her account within Seven days of receiving this warning will lose his or her account permanently.Thank you for using Uncw? Webmail! Access Number: 859480KBM
Thanks,
Uncw? Webmail Center
