Spam & Spoof E-Mail

Spam email

Spam email is email that has been sent in bulk to recipients who have not given permission for the message to be sent to them.  It is also known as Unsolicited Bulk E-mail (UBE).  Spam email is typically for commercial purposes, aiming to try and sell you a particular product or service.  It also tends to include a false ‘FROM’ address that conceals the source of the email making it difficult to identify the sender.  

Spoof email (Phishing) 

Phishing is the name given to the practice of sending emails that fake the appearance of a genuine web site or company in an attempt to commit identity theft.  The emails attempt to trick the recipient into replying to the email with personal information such as user ID and passwords, banking details or credit card numbers.  Although the email looks genuine it will in fact be linked to a fraudster’s website who steals your details.

Please note: ISA will NEVER ask you to provide personal details via email.  If you receive an email that looks like it has come from the University requesting personal details this is a spoof email.

What do I do if I receive spam/spoof email?

If you think you have received a spam or spoof email we recommend that you delete it. This action is simple and fast.  DO NOT REPLY to the email or reply to any "remove" addresses or web pages as it only demonstrates that your account is live and is likely to result in more spam.

If you receive a spoof email claiming to be from the University please inform the ISA Helpdesk immediately.

Spam filter

In many cases, spam email has certain characteristics that identify it as spam.  These can be picked up by special spam filters in the Aston email system which then removes the email before it is delivered to your inbox. 

If you think a genuine email has been caught in the spam filter you can visit https://mailscanner.aston.ac.uk.  Here you can view all emails that have been sent to you and caught in the filter.  If you identify an email as genuine you can then release it.  You can also add email addresses to a ‘Safe Senders List’ and a ‘Blocked Senders List.’   This should ensure that future genuine emails get through the filter and any spam emails are caught.