Account Security

What should I do if I receive a suspicious email?

If you receive an email that requests for your personal information, it could be a phishing email.

You can report a phishing email by clicking on the down-arrow symbol beside the Reply button, then click on the Report Phishing option on the drop-down menu.

In case of doubt, get in touch first with the sender using another channel such as via phone or SMS to verify the message (but not via email). We also suggest that you contact the ICT office via local 386 or send an email to privacy@uap.asia so that the any further damage could be mitigated.

Am I a target of Email Phishing?

If you receive an email requesting for confidential information such as your username, password, credit card number, or other sensitive information, see to it that you ignore the message or, better, report it as a phishing email using the Report Phishing feature.

Some of these email messages pose as coming from financial institutions such as banks or organizations you apparently belong to. Never use the phone numbers or click on the links that appear on the suspect email, even if the message appears authentic.

If the email poses as a message from the University systems administrator and asks for your email account details, forward it to ict.support@uap.asia. An authentic system administrator would never ask for account details from their users.

You may also receive an email purporting to come from one of your colleagues or a friend. The message may contain matters related to money transfers or would often suggest urgency of action. Some may also contain click-baits such as a file or a document that will require your username and password before you could open or read them.

Beware of these types of messages and think twice before clicking on anything.

What if I already provided my personal information?

If you provided debit or credit account information, contact your financial institution immediately. If you have provided your username and/or password for your email account, send an email to ict.support@uap.asia so that we can assist you in resecuring your account.

Why are phishers interested in getting someone else's personal information?

That's pretty obvious for credit card numbers and the like. But why would they want your email passwords? That's because your mailbox may contain confidential information that can be used to get into your other accounts such as your blog sites, bank account details, Facebook accounts, contact persons, etc. Who knows, they may even get to know more details about you, which can be further exploited.

How did the phishers get hold of my email address?

Perhaps you have posted your email address on the Internet. People sometimes use their email addresses on web pages, blogs or online forums. People also click on the "unsubscribe" buttons in spam email, thus providing the spammer valuable information that your email address is correct through your acknowledgement.

Your email address may also appear in one of your friend's or contact's address book and his or her account may have been compromised by spammers or hackers, giving them access to your address information and everyone else's in your friend's contact list.

Email phishing scams are rampant nowadays and countless people fall victims to it. The general rule of thumb is to act prudently, always think twice before clicking on attachments or links, and NEVER give away any private or confidential information via email. For questions or clarifications, send us a note via helpdesk@uap.asia.