'Phishing' is a criminally fraudulent process that attempts to acquire sensitive information such as usernames, passwords or credit card details by masquerading as a trustworthy entity in an electronic communication.

We have been alerted that there are currently bogus emails in circulation attempting to steal user credentials. Please beware and discard any emails which you are not expecting or that look suspicious. If you have inadvertently opened this email and responded to it or find that you have been locked out of your account, please let IT Helpdesk know as soon as possible helpdesk@rvc.ac.uk

Subjects of phishing attacks at the RVC have referred to mailbox quota upgrade, password resets, student loans, HMRC tax applications, confirming login details to the IT department, web forms to confirm personal details and  missed parcel deliveries.

If you receive an email claiming to be from the RVC IT department asking for personal information, to verify login details, or anything requesting you to open a file from an unknown sender then DO NOT respond. Some of these malicious emails might be very convincing and may even appear to have been sent from an @rvc.ac.uk address.

It is the RVC IT Department’s policy not to ask users for their passwords

Sally Burton, Infrastructure Services Directorate