5 Simple Ways To Spot A Phishing Email

A phishing email is an email that is sent by a malicious sender in an attempt to gather personal information from the recipient. The email may contain a link that leads to a malicious website, or it may contain an attachment that contains malware. Phishing emails are often difficult to identify, as they may appear to come from a legitimate source. However, there are some red flags that you can look for, such as misspellings and generic greetings. 

How to spot a phishing email?

1.    The sender’s email address does not match the name of the company or organisation they claim to represent.
2.    The phishing email includes grammatical errors or strange phrasing.
3.    The email contains a sense of urgency or threatens consequences if you do not take action immediately.
4.    The email includes a link or attachment 
5.    The email looks generally suspicious, such as being from an unknown sender or having an unusual subject line.

1. The sender’s email address does not match the name of the company or organisation they claim to represent.

One of the most common indicators that an email is a phishing attempt is when the sender’s email address does not match the name of the company or organisation they claim to represent. This is known as spoofing, and it is a way for scammers to trick people into revealing personal or financial information. If you receive an email from someone purporting to be from a company or organisation, but the email address does not match up, it is likely a phishing attempt. For example, a phishing email claiming to be from Apple may have an email address like “appel.com” or “customerservice-apple.com instead of “apple.com”

2. The phishing email includes grammatical errors or strange phrasing.

Emails may include grammatical errors or strange phrasing.  Therefore, receiving poorly written or old phrases emails might be a red flag for a scam. It is always best to check these key indicators on any email that you’re suspicious of. If you’re unsure, don’t click any links or open any attachments.  For example, a phishing email may say, "Dear Customer, you are entitled to a refund of €100, please click here to claim your refund.”

3. The email contains a sense of urgency or threatens consequences if you do not take action immediately.

When you receive an email with a sense of urgency or that threatens consequences if you don’t take action immediately, it’s important to evaluate the email before taking any steps. It’s possible that the email is legitimate and needs your immediate attention. However, it’s also possible that the email is a scam. Scammers often use high-pressure tactics to try to get people to act quickly without thinking. They may threaten missed deadlines, financial penalties, or even legal trouble if you don’t act right away. If you’re not sure whether an email is legitimate, contact the sender directly using a phone number or email address that you know is correct.

4. The email includes a link or attachment. 

Most people are aware that they should be careful about clicking on links in emails, especially if they don’t know the sender. However, many people don’t realise that simply opening an email can be dangerous. If an email includes a link or attachment, your computer can be infected with a virus as soon as you open the message. Even if you don’t click on anything, simply opening the email can allow the virus to start spreading.

5. The email looks generally suspicious, such as being from an unknown sender or having an unusual subject line.

If the email looks suspicious, it is most likely a phishing email. This may include emails from sends that you don’t know or with urgent subject lines. For example, an email with the subject line “Urgent! Your account has been deactivated!” 

Phishing emails are a common way for cybercriminals to steal your personal information. They can often look very legitimate so always make sure you look for the common signs if you think the email is suspicious. 
As the world becomes increasingly digitised, cyber security has become a top priority for businesses of all sizes. There are many ways in which a business can improve its cyber defence by hiring cyber security professionals. One of the most important things that cyber security professionals can do is to help businesses identify and fix vulnerabilities in their systems. By identifying potential weaknesses and providing training on the awareness of phishing or other cyber-attacks, businesses can protect themselves before they are hacked.