--- title: Spotting Phishing Email That Pretends to Be Your ISP url: https://hdiss.net/guides/spotting-phishing-from-your-provider/ business: High Desert Internet Services (HDISS) phone: 775-575-9593, 775-391-5660 email: info@hdiss.net mailing_address: Home base: 200 S Virginia St, Suite 760, Reno NV 89501 (dispatch office, not a walk-in store). Mail: Billing Dept., PO Box 11353, Reno NV 89510 hours: Office open 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, seven days a week. Network watched around the clock. type: Fixed wireless internet service provider (homes and small businesses), web hosting, customer email, domain registration service_area: Northern Nevada - Washoe, Lyon, Storey, Churchill and Douglas counties and Carson City; availability is checked address by address (line of sight to a tower) plans: Bronze $50/mo up to 500 Mbps down, up to 200 Mbps up; Silver $75/mo up to 800 down, up to 200 up; Gold $99/mo up to 1 Gig down, up to 200 up; ask about the up to 1 Gig / 1 Gig ultra-low-latency service no_online_purchase: true (check your address or call; existing customers pay at https://www2.fernley.net/hdiss/onlinepay/paymentform.cfm) since: 2002 --- - [Home](https://hdiss.net/) - [Guides](https://hdiss.net/guides/) - Spotting phishing email that pretends to be your internet provider # Spotting phishing email that pretends to be your internet provider A message that threatens to cut off your internet unless you click a link or pay right now is the classic fake. Do not click; go to the company's website or phone number you already know, and report the message. Sagebrush prairie in the high desert. Stock photo: Adobe Stock. [Photo credits](https://hdiss.net/photo-credits/) On this page - [What do the fakes look like?](#what-do-the-fakes-look-like) - [What should I do with one?](#what-should-i-do-with-one) - [How do I check a message from High Desert?](#how-do-i-check-a-message-from-high-desert) - [What if I already clicked?](#what-if-i-already-clicked) - [Where do I report it?](#where-do-i-report-it) - [Why are older adults targeted?](#why-are-older-adults-targeted) Everyone has an internet provider, which makes the provider's name a favorite disguise. The messages look like bills, outage notices or warnings that your account will close. This page is about telling them apart without needing to be a technician, and it applies to any provider, including High Desert. ## Takeaways - The FTC says legitimate companies will not email or text a link asking you to update payment information. - CISA lists urgent or threatening language, requests for personal or financial information and lookalike addresses as signs. - Contact the company using a phone number or website you know is real, not the one in the message. - Real High Desert contacts: 775-575-9593, 775-391-5660, info@hdiss.net; billing questions in writing to billing@hdiss.net. ## What do the fakes look like? Common ones say your account is suspended, your payment failed, your equipment needs an upgrade, your service will end today, or you are owed a refund. They come with a button or a link, often in a message that looks just like a real bill. The Federal Trade Commission lists several signs: a generic greeting, an invoice you do not recognize, and a link to update payment information, which it says legitimate companies will not email or text (FTC, read 10/15/26). CISA adds urgent or emotionally charged language with threats, requests for personal or financial information, shortened links, and lookalike addresses that swap a letter in a brand name, and notes that perfect spelling no longer rules a fake out (CISA, read 10/15/26). ## What should I do with one? Ask the question the FTC suggests: do I have an account with this company? If not, it is likely a scam; report it and delete it. If you do, contact the company using a phone number or website you know is real, not the information in the message. For High Desert, that means the numbers on this site, 775-575-9593 or 775-391-5660, open 9 to 5 every day, or the Pay Online link from the [Pay Online page](https://hdiss.net/pay-online/). Do not open attachments, do not call numbers in the message and do not reply. ## How do I check a message from High Desert? Look at the sender's full address, not just the display name. The company's own mail uses hdiss.net addresses, so a sender with an extra letter or a different ending is a warning sign, though a matching name proves nothing by itself. Hover over a link, without clicking, to see where it goes; the real payment form for customers is the one linked from this site. When in doubt, phone. The agreement asks that questions about it be in writing to billing@hdiss.net, so if a message claims to be about your agreement, write to that address yourself rather than replying. Our [guide to paying your bill online](https://hdiss.net/guides/how-to-pay-your-bill-online/) shows the real route. ## What if I already clicked? Do not panic, and act in order. Disconnect from the page without entering anything more. If you typed a password, change it on the real site, and anywhere else you used it. If you gave a card number, call the card company. Turn on two-step verification where you can. Run your computer's security scan. The guide on [what to do after clicking a phishing link](https://hdiss.net/guides/clicked-a-phishing-link-what-now/) has the full list, and [two-step verification](https://hdiss.net/guides/two-step-verification/) covers the extra lock. ## Where do I report it? The FTC says to forward phishing emails to reportphishing@apwg.org, the Anti-Phishing Working Group, forward phishing texts to 7726 (SPAM) and report to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. Most mail programs also have a report phishing or report spam button; use it. If the message pretended to be High Desert, tell the office as well. Phone 775-575-9593 or email info@hdiss.net. ## Why are older adults targeted? Scammers pick people who answer calls and trust a familiar name. The same rules protect everyone: do not act under pressure, check by a route you know, and ask a family member. Read [scams that target older adults](https://hdiss.net/guides/scams-that-target-older-adults/) and [tech support scam calls](https://hdiss.net/guides/tech-support-scam-calls/) for the phone versions. Nothing that arrives unasked requires an instant answer, and a person at the office would rather take a call about a suspicious message than have you guess. ### Sources - [consumer.ftc.gov/articles/how-recognize-and-avoid-phishing-scams](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/how-recognize-and-avoid-phishing-scams) (FTC, read 10/15/26) - [cisa.gov/secure-our-world/recognize-and-report-phishing](https://www.cisa.gov/secure-our-world/recognize-and-report-phishing) (CISA, read 10/15/26) - [hdiss.net/](https://hdiss.net/) (FAQ and support pages, read 10/15/26) ### Talk to a person - Call [775-575-9593](tel:7755759593) [775-391-5660](tel:7753915660) Open 9-5 every day - Email [info@hdiss.net](mailto:info@hdiss.net) [Check my address](https://hdiss.net/check-availability/#check) Local since 2002 Fixed wireless from towers in Northern Nevada. Three plans, no contracts, local support, 4.8 on Google from 36 reviews. [About High Desert](https://hdiss.net/about/) ### Keep reading - [Pay online](https://hdiss.net/pay-online/) - [How to pay your bill online](https://hdiss.net/guides/how-to-pay-your-bill-online/) - [You clicked a phishing link: what to do next](https://hdiss.net/guides/clicked-a-phishing-link-what-now/) - [Two-step verification: the one setting worth turning on](https://hdiss.net/guides/two-step-verification/) - [Tech support scam calls and pop-ups: how to spot them](https://hdiss.net/guides/tech-support-scam-calls/) - [Online scams that target older adults](https://hdiss.net/guides/scams-that-target-older-adults/) ## More on email and hosting how-to - [POP3 vs IMAP in plain words](https://hdiss.net/guides/pop3-vs-imap/): POP3 downloads your mail to one device and normally removes it from the server; IMAP leaves the mail on the server so every device sees the same inbox. High Desert Internet's customer email uses a POP3 server, pop.h - [Keeping email when you change devices](https://hdiss.net/guides/keeping-email-when-you-change-devices/): Before you retire the old phone or computer, turn on the setting that leaves a copy of mail on the server, copy or export what is stored on the old device and check what shows in webmail. High Desert's mail uses POP - [What a domain name is and who owns it](https://hdiss.net/guides/what-is-a-domain-name/): A domain name is the address people type to reach your website and the ending of your email addresses, registered through a company called a registrar. The person or business named as the registrant holds it, and keeps i ## Questions people ask ### Will High Desert ever call me about my bill? We do not publish its contact practices. When unsure, hang up and call the number on this site. ### Is every email with a link a scam? No. But for payments, start from the company's own site.