ECHO Joint Agreement Technology Department

Welcome to the ECHO Joint Agreement Technology Department!

It is the objective of the Technology Department to provide technical services to promote academic success for ALL!

Email Safety

Look at the sender’s email address – These email addresses can be spoofed to look like someone you know.

Look at the content of the body – Is it just asking you to open a file or go to a website link?

The message asks for personal information-No matter how official an email message might look, it's always a bad sign if the message asks for personal information. Your bank doesn't need you to send it your account number. It already knows what that is. Similarly, a reputable company should never send an email asking for your password, credit card number, or the answer to a security question.

Look at the Subject line – Does it create a sense of urgency? These are typically viruses. Does it have 1 word in it but appears to be a response like “Re: Document”? – This is also a sign of a virus.

Look at the body of the message – If the sender is a recognized sender, does it follow their normal emailing criteria – Does it have a salutation – is it directed to you specifically, or is it generic (Hi, vs Hi Adam,)? Does it have a signature for the person who sent it? Does it match the name of the person you identified in the email address above? Does it have the company’s contact information and/or graphics that you’ve been accustomed to seeing if you’ve received mail from them before?

Look at the direction of the message – Does it ask you to open the attached file? Does it create a sense of urgency? With viruses, the purpose of the body is to entice you to open the attachment. A common method is by fear and urgency.