These are targeted and simple forms of phishing emails designed to get victims to click on a link that contains malicious content or steals your credentials.
Tips if Something Seems Off:
Double-check the email address before responding
Look to make sure the email address is correct. In Gmail hover your mouse over the sender name for the email to display. On a mobile phone or a touchscreen, press and hold the link (don't tap!) to reveal the actual URL. (Look in the bottom left corner of the browser window.) Don't click on a link unless it goes to a URL you trust.
Follow up with the sender separately
If you didn’t expect it, reject it. Or follow-up with the individual directly in a separate email or call/text to confirm.
Report and/or flag it
Examples of these types of attacks include:
From: "Help Desk" <firstname.lastname@example.org>Subject: You recently made a request to deactivate email.Date: May 17, 2021 at 10:27:19 AM PDTTo: email@example.com
You recently made a request to deactivate email. This request will be processed shortly.
If you did not make this request, cancel the request now.
If you do not cancel this request, your account will be deactivated and all your email data will be lost.
Your berkeley.edu Internet Team