How to spot a phishing email
- Phishing emails try to rush you into clicking, paying or typing a password.
- Slow down, check who really sent it, and never use the links in a message you did not expect.
Steps
- Look at who it is from. Click or tap the sender name to see the real address. A real bank or vendor does not write from a free email address or a strange domain.
- Notice the rush. Words like urgent, final warning or your account will be closed are meant to stop you thinking.
- Hover before you click. On a computer, move the mouse over a link without clicking. Look at the address that shows. If it does not match the company, do not click.
- Be careful with attachments. Do not open an attachment you did not expect, even from someone you know. Their account could be hacked.
- Check the ask. Be careful when an email asks for a password, a gift card, a change of bank details or a code. Real companies do not ask for passwords by email.
- Check another way. Call the person or company using a number you already have, not a number in the email.
A made up example
Subject: Invoice 4471 overdue, pay today
"Hi Dana, your Brightline Supplies invoice is overdue. Open the attached file and pay by link today to avoid a fee."
What is wrong: Dana does not know a company called Brightline Supplies. The sender is a random address. The email rushes her and asks her to open a file and pay by a link. The right move is to delete it, or report it.
What to do when you spot one
- Do not click or open anything.
- Use the Report button in your email app if it has one.
- Tell your boss or IT provider, so they can warn the team.
- Delete it.
Clicked already? Read what to do if you clicked a bad link.
When to call a pro
- Someone typed a password or opened an attachment.
- The same phishing email hit many people.
- You want staff training and filters that stop most of these before they arrive.
Need IT support for your business?
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Common questions
Can I get phished from a text message?
Yes. It is called smishing. Use the same checklist for texts.
What if the email looks like it is from my boss?
Check the real address and call or message your boss another way. Bosses are often copied by crooks.
Does good email protection stop all phishing?
No tool stops all of it. Filters plus a trained team work best.
Keep reading
- What to do if you clicked a bad link
- Fake invoice and fake boss emails: how to stop them
- How to set up MFA for your team
Where we help
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