As a reminder do not fall for the fake IT emails regarding your email account being full, your password needing to be confirmed or the like. We do not ask for passwords over email.
Here are a few things you can look for to spot phishing (as in fishing for your information) email.
- Look at the from address: Ours will usually come from someone in our department and will have their signature block at the bottom of the message with one of our names.
- Mailbox quota: If your mailbox quota is actually reaching its limit you WILL get an automated email from our mail system, but all you need to do is cleanup some of your email. This will involve deleting emails with attachments, old email, sent mail, and finally emptying your deleted mail folder.
- Look at the reply to address: IF it is from us will be from an @shreveportla.gov address not .COM, .ORG, etc.
- Look at the body: It will almost never have a link for you to click on except for the IT webpage link usually in a signature block. It should never ask for a password.
- As a rule you should NEVER click a link included in an email (this includes your personal email accounts). It is much better to open a web browser (Firefox, Chrome, Edge) and go the site by typing the address in the address bar.
- Look at the signature block: Many emails have "Admin Department ©1999-2021 City of Shreveport, All rights reserved." This is not legit!
I hope this helps you distinguish the fake email from the legitimate email that is landing in your inbox. Be especially wary of email asking you to give out sensitive information like account credentials to any important site like your bank, network, email, etc. It also may be a good idea to print this email out as a quick reference on what to look for.
REMEMBER It is ALWAYS better to be safe rather than sorry... If in doubt just don't click on it. If it really is from us....we will find you.