How to Spot a Phishing Email in 5 Seconds (Real Examples)
1 min read
Summary
Phishing emails are used by hackers to trick individuals into handing over sensitive data, such as usernames and passwords, or to get them to install malicious software, often using tactics such as fear and urgency to entice users to react hastily, thereby bypassing logical thinking.
There are several red flags that can indicate an email is phishing, one of which is the address in the ‘from’ field, which legitimate companies will always use a specific domain name for, rather than a publicly available email host.
Additionally, the language used is often designed to illicit panic in the recipient, with threats of account suspension, or claiming that an account has been breached, in order to get the user to act without thinking.
The article urges readers to scrutinize all incoming emails carefully, especially those that threaten account suspension or other negative consequences, and to avoid clicking on any links within suspect emails.
Instead, the sender’s address can be independently checked within the inbox, and any suspicious emails should be deleted, without being opened.