Email Safety Tips - DRAFT
.
Types of Safety Tips
External Sender
The External Sender safety tip is added to email messages that originate
from outside of the SIUE email system. This
primarily occurs when the sender address does not include @siue.edu.
First contact
The First Contact safety tip is added to email messages from senders who are new to you. This can occur for internal and external senders.
A variation of this safety tip occurs when an email is sent to multiple people and the email system determines that the sender is new for the majority of recipients.
Possible Impersonation
The Possible Impersonation safety tip is added to email messages that have senders similar but ultimately different than known contacts. This primarily occurs when the sender display name matches the display name of someone at SIUE, or that you have messaged previously, but has a different email address.
Safe Sender List
The Safe Senders List safety tip is added to email messages to indicate that some content or images in the message have been blocked because the email was sent from an unknown sender. Email addresses and domain names in the Safe Sender List are never treated as junk email, regardless of the content of the message. You can add your Contacts and other correspondents to the Safe Senders list to confirm you'll always receive their messages in your inbox.
Using the Safety Tips
Check the sender email address
Email software allows users to set their display name as they prefer. Scammers will use this feature to impersonate legitimate people in an organization. Checking the email address can help you identify when this occurs.
Consider the following when checking the sender email address:
- Does the domain in the email address fit for the type of communication?
- Is it an .edu domain for other education institutions or .gov for government agencies?
- Would someone from a company use personal email services for official business?
- If they are an SIUE member, are they using their @siue.edu address?
- Does the address include unusual information before the @ symbol?
- Does it reference "SIUE" (e.g. ecougar2022siue@gmail.com)?
- Does it reference a title that does not fit with the individual (e.g. execmgr01@gmail.com)?
Check the email content
Safety tips are primarily focused on the sender of an email. They do not provide guidance for attachments, links, or other content in the message.
Consider the following when checking the email content:
- Does the email include an unusual request for the person?
- Is there an attachment on the email that when opened, requires disabling security settings or opening a website?
- Does the email signature reflect the correct information for the individual?
Need more assistance?
Contact the SIUE ITS Help Desk at (618) 650-5500 or by email at help@siue.edu.