As you can tell, scammers continue to explore this theme. The new phishing email that arrived today – and may continue to arrive over the weekend – uses the above subject line ending with random numbers. The actual message content is not in the email body but instead contained in a .msg attachment, likely to avoid detection by our anti‑phishing scanners.
The sender appears to be @microsoft.com – definitely not @uvic.ca – but there may be new variants of this phishing attempt. Please do not be curious and do not open the attachment under any circumstances.
What’s inside is shown in the screenshot below. The ultimate goal is to trick you into scanning a QR code that leads to a fake login page designed to steal your UVic credentials.
Transcript of the attachment text below:
University Of Victoria
2026 – 2027
Benefits Guide Summary
Your Benefits. Your Choices. Your Health.
This summary highlights the core benefits available to you for the 2026–2027 plan year.Use this as your quick reference for medical, dental, vision, and voluntary coverage.
Welcome
Welcome to University Of Victoria’s 2026–2027 Benefit Plan Offerings
This benefits summary outlines your employee benefits effective June 1, 2026. To enroll or update your selections, please scan the QR code below.
Scan to Access Your Benefits PortalSecure access has been sent to:
Help Starts Here
BenefitsVIP is your dedicated support center for benefits, claims, and eligibility questions.
Hours: Monday – Friday, 8:30 am—8:00 pm (ET)
Email: hr.answers@uvic.ca
Web: uvic.ca
This benefit summary provides selected highlights of the employee benefits program available. It is not a legal document and shall not be construed as a guarantee of benefits nor of continued employment. All benefit plans are governed by master policies, contracts and plan documents. Any discrepancies between this summary and the actual terms of such policies, contracts, and plan documents shall be governed by those actual terms. The company reserves the right to amend, suspend, or terminate any benefit plan, in whole or in part, at any time. The authority to make such changes rests with the Plan Administrator.