OUTLOOK- REPORT PHISHING AND JUNK EMAILS

Note: If you receive a suspicious email, report it to help keep the FAU community safe from phishing threats. FAU IT staff will never ask for DUO codes or contact you via text to resolve account issues. 

Phishing scams aim to deceive individuals into sharing personal information, clicking harmful links, or even sending money. Below are some common types of phishing attacks to watch out for:
  • Account Deactivation Claims: Scammers may falsely claim your account will be disabled unless you click a link. FAU, and most legitimate organizations, never send such emails.
  • Unread Message Alerts: Fraudulent emails may claim you have unread messages and include a link to view them. Avoid clicking these links.
  • Hacked Account Threats: Scammers might claim your account has been hacked and demand cryptocurrency to prevent the release of sensitive information.
  • Free Musical Instruments: Some phishing emails may offer free instruments but ask for fake delivery fees.
  • Fake Job Offers: Phishing emails may advertise job opportunities, falsely claiming to be from FAU’s Career Center or other departments.
  • Fake Charity or NGO Jobs: Fraudulent job listings may appear to be for charitable work, but they are designed to scam you.
  • Work-from-Home Scams: These scams often involve cashing fraudulent checks or receiving stolen goods.
  • Fake Bills or Confirmations: : Scammers may send emails posing as bills or order confirmations from services like Amazon, Geek Squad, McAfee, Norton, or airlines.

To help protect users from phishing scams and spam, Microsoft Outlook provides two important features: Report Phishing and Report Junk.

phishing and junk

Report Phishing

When you use the "Report Phishing" feature:

  • The suspicious email is flagged and reported to Microsoft’s security team.
  • The email is moved to the Junk folder, protecting you from accidental engagement with harmful links or attachments.
  • This action helps to alert Microsoft about potential threats, which enhances security across the platform for all users.

Report Junk

The "Report Junk" feature allows you to flag unsolicited, irrelevant, or annoying emails (commonly known as spam) that clutter your inbox. When you mark an email as junk:

  • The email is automatically moved to your Junk Email folder.
  • Microsoft’s security system analyzes the message to improve its spam filters, reducing the likelihood of similar emails reaching your inbox in the future.
  • This helps to clean up your inbox and improve your email experience by filtering out low-priority messages.

If you are particularly concerned about an email and want to verify whether it is a phishing attempt, you can forward the email to both help@eng.fau.edu and security@fau.edu for further investigation.