Important Information about Phishing

With a global increase in phishing attempts circulating the Internet, it is important to be aware of this potential threat, and to know what to do if you ever receive such an email.

What is Phishing?

Phishing is so named due to its similarities in concept to the more commonly known activity of 'fishing': casting a line attached to bait that looks like 'the real thing' but behind the bait is a hook that traps the unsuspecting victim. Phishing emails are sent to potential victims usually in attempt to extract money, personal or sensitive information. Often these emails will be made to look like they are coming from a bank, store or other institution that the potential victim might deal with claiming that they need their bank account number, credit card information, username and password or other personal information to 'verify' or 'update' their account records.

What can I do to protect myself from phishing emails?

As a general rule, you should treat any emails you receive where personal information is being requested as suspicious. You should never respond to emails that solicit personal information, as email is generally an insecure method of communication. To be safe, it is fair to assume that NO company will make a legitimate request via email for users to update their account records, especially not without providing some way for the user to positively validate that the request is legitimate. If you ever have any doubt about an email you receive, you should contact the company that appears to have sent it in order to validate the authenticity of the communication.

In accordance to these guidelines, at Uniserve we will never ask you to provide confidential information via email, so if you receive an email that asks you to provide confidential information, such as your username, password, or date of birth, please do not respond. We take Internet security very seriously and will do all that we can to ensure our customers have a safe and enjoyable experience using our internet service.

Tips to avoid phishing:

• Don't reply to or click on links in emails that ask for personal, financial, or account information.
• Instead of clicking the links in emails, go to the websites directly by typing the web address into your browser, cutting and pasting the URL into your browser, or using bookmarks.
• Keep your computer's antivirus, spyware, browser, and security patches up to date and regularly run system scans.
• Review your accounts regularly and check for unauthorized activity.
• Use a browser that has a phishing filter (Firefox, Internet Explorer, or Opera).

If you have responded to any of these emails in the past, and require assistance resetting the password on your account, or if you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to contact our help desk at 1-877-864-7378 or by email at help@uniserve.com.