"Academic Affairs Shared You A Note" Phishing email
We are aware of a phishing email currently circulating that appears to come from a member of the University with the subject "Academic Affairs Shared You A Note" (1st April 2026)
In the email, recipients are told "Mrs Tonya Mariner" is selling a list of in-demand items such as:
- A violin.
- A 2014 Yamaha baby grand piano.
- The iconic Eric Clapton signature 1939 Martin OOO-42 guitar.
- A Leica S (Typ 007) digital SLR camera.
- A PlayStation 5
- An Xbox Series X – 2TB Galaxy Special Edition
- A 2023 14-inch MacBook Pro.
- An 11-inch 2023 iPad Pro.
- A 2023 Apple Vision Pro.
A recipient is then asked to contact "Mrs Tonya Mariner" via WhatsApp and pay a shipping fee for their chosen item.
If you receive an email like this, we ask that you do not delete or ignore the email. Please report any suspicious emails using the Report function in Microsoft Outlook. Please see the below screenshots for where to find the Report button:
Classic Outlook – select email in list - Report Message is in the top right corner.
New Outlook
Once you have reported the email, you do not need to take any further action, unless you have responded to the email, in which case please contact the IT Service Desk on 0191 208 5999 immediately.
We have taken action to block the email but a small number may still get through.
Please check the advice we provide at https://services.ncl.ac.uk/itservice/core-services/email/guides/spamandphishing/ on identifying and reporting spam/phishing emails.
published on: 1 April 2026