Most email scams begin with messages from an external sender. As part of Republic Services’ effort to reduce phishing and other email scams, all external email messages will now be labeled with a prominent gray or orange box at the beginning of the email. These labels are intended to help you recognize when an email is coming from an outside source. Please see examples below:
Example 1: This Message is From an External Sender
Example 2: This Message Is From an Untrusted Sender.
Example 3: Be Careful With This Message: The sender’s identity could not be verified and someone may be impersonating the sender.
Please note that this does not mean that all emails with the external sender label are malicious. For example, if you work with a vendor, that email would be labeled “External Email” even though it isn’t dangerous.
Additionally, it’s also not true that all emails without the external sender label are inherently safe either. For example, an employee could have had their account hijacked from a previous attack, and now be trying to phish you. Since this attack would be coming from a real @republicservices.com account, it wouldn’t be labeled “External Email.”
Our Cybersecurity Team works hard to keep you safe, but you play a big part, too! How can you know when a legit-looking email is a scam? Download our “What is Phishing Overview” here.
If you have any questions, please email infosec@republicservices.com.