"This Sender Is from Outside Your Organization": What It Means

Some emails show a warning at the top that says This sender … is from outside your organization. Here's what it means and when to be careful.

What it means

The email came from outside North Central University. That's normal for vendors, families, and other schools. The banner is there so you notice before you trust it.

Be extra careful when

  • The email claims to be from someone at NCU, like your supervisor, the president, or IT, but has this banner
  • It asks you to click a link to sign in, open an attachment, or buy gift cards
  • It's urgent, threatening, or too good to be true

A message that says it's from NCU but shows this banner is almost always phishing. Don't reply. Report it instead.

What the buttons do

Button
What it does
Block sender
Sends future email from that address to your Junk folder. Use it for unwanted mail you don't need to report.
Report (on the toolbar)
Sends the message to IT as phishing or junk. Use it for anything suspicious.