Northwestel is asking its Internet customers to ignore and delete an e-mail message they may have received that asks them for private information about their Internet account.

Many customers have received an e-mail that appears to have been sent by Northwestel.  The message appears to have been sent by Northwestel and directs customers to reply and provide confidential information, such as their e-mail password.  It states that the customer’s account will be deactivated if the customer does not respond.

Northwestel is advising its customers that this e-mail is fraudulent and that customers should not respond to it or provide any confidential information.

Northwestel does not solicit this type of information from its customers.

This type of e-mail is known as “phishing”.  Also know as "brand spoofing", it is the creation of email messages and Web pages that are replicas of existing, legitimate sites and businesses.  These Web sites and emails are used to trick users into submitting personal, financial, or password data.  These emails often ask for information such as credit card numbers, bank account information, social insurance numbers, and passwords that will be used to commit fraud.   More information on this and other scams can be found at www.phonebusters.com.

Northwestel provides complete telecommunications solutions and entertainment services in the Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Yukon, northern British Columbia and High Level, Alberta. The company’s operations span nearly 4 million square kilometres of the most remote and rugged areas of Canada.