Phishing Alert for Schools: Hackers Impersonating Headteachers Using Real Email Accounts

In recent weeks, we’ve seen a sharp increase in phishing emails targeting schools, and this time, the attackers are stepping up their game.

These emails appear to come from genuine school staff members — including headteachers — whose mailboxes have likely been compromised. The content is polite, professional, and uses legitimate school signatures. Here’s a redacted example:

Subject: Please see attached for your records
From: [Redacted Name], Headteacher – [Redacted School Name]
Body:

Good morning

I hope this email finds you well.

Please see attached for your records. Alternatively, you can access by copying the highlighted link and pasting in your browser:

[maliciouslookalikedomain].canprovideunique.com

I would be grateful if you could spend some time reviewing.

Regards,
[Redacted Name]

This might seem like a routine message — but that link is dangerous. It’s a lookalike domain designed to trick staff into clicking, potentially exposing the school network to malware, credential theft, or ransomware.

❗ What Makes This Attack So Dangerous?

It uses real accounts – These emails pass SPF, DKIM, and DMARC checks because they’re coming from legitimate school mailboxes that have been compromised.
It uses familiar names – Staff are more likely to trust messages from people they know, especially headteachers.
The language is calm and professional – Nothing about the message raises red flags at first glance.

How Schools Can Protect Themselves

Here’s what we recommend to every school we work with:

✅ 1. Alert Your Staff

Circulate this warning to all staff, especially those handling email attachments or admin tasks.
Remind them: if something feels off, don’t click — report it immediately.

✅ 2. Check the Domain Closely

In this case, the real school domain might be something like schoolname.org, but the scam domain looks similar while being malicious. That’s a major red flag.

✅ 3. Enable MFA on All Staff Accounts

If attackers are compromising email accounts, multi-factor authentication (MFA) can stop them from logging in, even if they have the password.

✅ 4. Monitor for Unusual Logins

We recommend using tools like Microsoft Secure Score, Defender for Office 365, or third-party platforms like Huntress to secure yourselves against these threats.

✅ 5. Report and Block the Domain

Block the domain in your email filtering system and report it to your IT provider or filtering service.
Also consider reporting the domain to the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) via their suspicious site reporting tool.

Need Help Securing Your School?

At Next Generation IT, we work with over 100 schools across Yorkshire to protect them from exactly this type of threat. We offer:

24/7 email threat monitoring
Staff training on phishing awareness
Real-time alerts for suspicious activity
Email spam protection to stop 99% of phishing emails.
Managed filtering and firewall solutions
Rapid response in the event of a breach

If you’re unsure about your current setup or want to run a quick check, reach out to our team — we’re here to help.

📞 0113 5216055
🌐 www.nextgen-it.co.uk
✉️ steven@nextgen-it.co.uk

Stay alert, stay secure – and spread the word.
Let’s stop these scams before they spread further.