Another phishing scam that purports to come from the UC Davis Webmail Center is targeting campus email users and attempting to obtain login IDs and passwords. The message does not come from UC Davis. Please review the following description of this email scam so that you will recognize it if you receive it.

The brief message appears to be from help@ucdavis.edu. The subject line reads "Uc Davis University Of California Email Service." The body of the message states "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." It then asks for your User ID and E-mail Password as well as asking you to choose a secret question and provide the answer. There is a final warning that if you refuse to update your account within seven days of receiving the warning, you will permanently lose your account.

As with other phishing scams, this one is a fraud, and the campus Data Center has blocked the reply-to address to prevent the campus community from falling prey to the deception. Also, please be aware that the campus will NEVER ask you for a password.

If you receive this message or one similar, please delete it immediately. If you believe you have provided your login ID and password, visit computingaccounts.ucdavis.edu to change your password, or contact the IT Express Computing Services Help Desk at (530) 754-HELP (4357).

For advice on how to spot phishing attempts, read IET's "10 Things Everybody Should Know About How the Email World Works."