Stay cyber safe

Recognising email scams

Look out for these warning signs to help identify an email scam:

• the email is unexpected or not personalised 
• you're told you need to do something urgently
• the email is worded strangely with poor spelling and grammar
• when hovering over links in the email, you notice unusual URLs
• the email has been sent from an unusual address or includes unusual 'Reply-To' addresses
• you're asked to enter personal information, open an attachment or link, or download a file
• you're repeatedly sent email requests to authorise access to an account which has multi-factor authentication (MFA) set up. 

Preventing email scams

At UQ, we use robust security systems to detect and block suspicious emails. However, some unwanted emails still make it past our filters.

To prevent email scams from being sent to your UQ email account: 

• don’t share your email address online unless you need to
• don’t provide your UQ email for personal activities, such as online shopping
• make sure you use your UQ email – rather than your personal email – for UQ work or study-related activities
• delete spam messages without opening them
• don’t respond to or unsubscribe from suspicious emails – scammers may use this to verify your email address
• follow the instructions to block suspicious email addresses in Outlook or Office 365.