What is Spam?

Unsolicited e-mail you receive that advertises products, goods, or services can be considered Spam.  Multiple emails from unknown email accounts which look similar could also be Spam emails.

What is Phishing?

Phishing or vishing (voice phishing) scams come in a variety of forms so be vigilant when asked by anyone to provide your personal information over the phone or via the Internet.

Emails which try to retrieve your user name, password, account number, credit card details or other personal information are usually phishing emails, especially if they are unsolicited.

You may also receive a phone call that requests you to provide sensitive information over the phone, or asks you to visit a specific website.

Microsoft also publish some information on phishing which can be found here.

Identifying Spam & Phishing

You can identify spam and phishing emails in a variety of ways:

• Poor spelling and odd grammar.

• An email asks you to visit external links embedded in the email.

• An email says it's from an organisation/company you've never heard of.

• An email asks for a password or other personal information.

• A URL is misspelled but looks like a familiar website.

• An email asks you to forward the email to friends to earn points or win gifts!