Email scam demanding money targets university

Immediate action was taken and 196 compromised accounts were blocked, a spokesperson said

University students and staff have been targeted by an email scam demanding money, a spokesperson has said.

Fake emails, known as phishing, compromised 196 accounts at the University of Hull on Wednesday, before requesting money.

The emails claimed university accounts were being closed and asked recipients to log in to confirm their details. The accounts were then used to send fraudulent emails requesting money transfers.

The spokesperson said an investigation is being carried out and the university, alongside their cybersecurity partner, took immediate action to block the compromised accounts.

"Our initial investigations have not identified that any data was accessed or exported," they said.

"We take the security of our community very seriously and are working to investigate what happened to prevent future occurrences."

Listen to highlights from Hull and East Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.

Download the BBC News app from the App Store for iPhone and iPad or Google Play for Android devices