IT staff have discovered an email phishing scam which ask the recipient to reply with their username, password, data of birth and country/territory. Like many phishing scams, it takes advantage of the recipient's fear and presents a sense of urgency.

The email has a subject of "YOUR EMAIL ACCOUNT MAY BE DELETED IN TWO DAYS (VERY URGENT)". Not only does it ask for your password to be sent (you should never share your password with anyone), it asks for it to be sent to an email address hosted on gmail.com.

The email states that unused email accounts are being deleted and that you need to respond if you are still using your account.

Phishing scams often take advantage of the recipient's fear or greed and this one is no exception.

VCU's Technology Services staff and other VCU business units will never ask you to email your password. Per VCU's Password Standard:

Passwords must be kept secret and must not be shared.

and

Passwords must not be inserted into email messages or other forms of electronic communication...

If you receive this email, or one like it, please delete it and do not respond to it. If you accidentally respond, change your password immediately and contact the VCU Help Desk to notify them that your password may have been compromised.

To learn more about how phishing works, what phishers might ask for, how they'll try to get you to share info., signs of a potential attack and how to protect yourself, visit our Phishing page.

For additional information security news, tips and more, view our Twitter page via the Web or your handheld device.