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Suspicious Email Reporting Service (SERS)

Since our launch on 23 October 2020 to 31 August 2021, we have received 4,221 suspicious emails.

In the month of August 2021, we received 444 suspicious emails. For more statistics, please take a look at our SERS Statistics 01 August – 31 August 2021 infographic below or view the text version at the bottom of this page.

Suspicious Email Reporting Service (SERS) - August 2021

As part of the Isle of Man Government’s Cyber Security Strategy, the Office of Cyber-Security & Information Assurance (OCSIA), working in partnership with Manx Telecom, have introduced a suspicious email reporting service (SERS).

If you have received an email which you’re not quite sure about, forward it to the Suspicious Email Reporting Service (SERS) SERS@ocsia.im. The message might be from a company you don’t normally receive communications from, or someone you do not know. You may just have a hunch. If you are suspicious, you should report it. Your report of a phishing email will help us to act quickly, protecting many more people from being affected. In a small number of cases, an email may not reach our service due to it already being widely recognised by spam detection services.

By sending your suspicious emails to us we can better understand the threats on our Island and provide relevant advice and warnings. Your email will also be analysed by the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), assisting in the disruption of malicious phishing campaigns and take down of websites.

The UK NCSC SERS initiative has, since its launch in April 2020, removed more than 55,300 scams and more than 105,000 malicious websites. Find out more about what happens when the NCSC receives a suspicious email to the SERS.

What happens when you send a suspicious email to SERS@ocsia.im?

  • Your suspicious email will be received by OCSIA for analysis and collated to assist in providing general advice and warnings to the Island’s residents.
  • Your suspicious email will be forwarded to the UK NCSC for analysis. The UK NCSC team work to take down malicious URL links and scam campaigns. To see how they handle your data, view their privacy statement.

If you have received an email which you are not quite sure about, forward it on to SERS@ocsia.im

Disclaimer: In a small number of cases, an email may not reach our service due to it already being widely recognised by spam detection services. The vast majority of reports do reach our system so please keep reporting any suspicious emails you receive.

Please view our privacy notice to see how we handle your data.

For any other cyber concerns, please report it to us using our Cyber Concerns Online Reporting Form.

SERS Statistics – 01 August to 31 August 2021

In the month of August 2021, we have received:

  • 444 suspicious emails
    • 184 (41%) contained malicious links
    • 17 (4%) contained malicious attachments
  • The top 5 Phishing Scams imitating popular services: 
    • PayPal
    • Anti-virus Software
    • Parcel Delivery
    • Amazon
    • Cryptocurrency Investments
  • Suspected Advanced Fee Fraud (aka 419) scams made up 26% of suspicious email submissions. Visit our Advisory Notices page for more information about 419 scams. 

As of 31 August, the UK National Cyber Security Centre (UK NCSC) have: 

  • Received more than 7,250,000 suspicious emails
  • Removed more than 59,900 scams
  • Taken down more than 112,000 malicious URLs

Note: Statistics given are for the Isle of Man SERS unless stated otherwise.

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