I’m helping raise some awareness today on a couple of IT-related topics. Thank you all for continuing to read these updates and providing me with feedback; I do really appreciate it.

In today’s update:

• Fraud Awareness
• Working Remotely – Equipment Needs

Fraud Awareness

Working remotely means you may be using different tools to communicate. With that, the potential exists for scammers to try to take advantage of you. UNBC was inundated with “spoofing” emails yesterday – messages that appear to come from an individual working at UNBC, but are actually not. Please be careful when reviewing your e-mails, especially on devices such as your mobile phone that only display a sender’s name, not the full e-mail address. (You can usually see the sender’s real e-mail address if you click on the name.)

Be sure to pay attention to the warning that now appears on all e-mails originating from outside UNBC. And, if you have any doubt, verify with the sender of the email (through a different method of contact than what is listed in the spam e-mail) that they are indeed trying to reach you.

Working Remotely – Equipment Needs

You may have been instructed to take your work computer home in order to work remotely. It is important to remember that these computers are to be used only for UNBC work. Please do not let others in your household use them or use them for personal activities.

This was an urgent situation and we had to act quickly. As a result, we may not have gathered information necessary for the equipment’s maintenance and security. Your supervisor or an ITS representative will ask you to provide some basic information about the computer you have taken home. You can access the form in the working remotely section. Please note that you will not be asked for your password or other sensitive information as a part of this process.

If you have questions, send them to unbccommand@unbc.ca, visit this website, and follow UNBC’s official social media channels for the latest information and updates.

Thank you again for your continued support and encouragement. I appreciate all your efforts and understanding and please take care of yourselves and those around you!

Geoff Payne,
UNBC Interim President and Vice-Chancellor