How do you recognize a phishing email?
Phishing is a popular form of cybercrime. These fraudulent emails are often very difficult to distinguish from real ones. How do you know if an email is safe?
We are happy to share some tips that can help you recognize fake emails.
Sender
- Always check the sender’s address. Even if the sender’s name is spelled correctly, the email address is often a variation of the real company or institution name.
- Carefully check the domain name of the email. You can recognize this by everything that comes after the @ symbol.
- Make sure the email address actually matches the website address. A common trick is replacing letters with numbers.
- The difference between a legitimate and fake address can be very hard to spot. For example, 1 (number) is replaced with I (letter) → co*****@************en.be vs. co*****@************en.be.
Salutation
Business partners usually use your first or last name in emails. Emails starting with “Dear Sir/Madam” or “Dear Customer” should raise suspicion.
Requests for personal data
Most phishing emails ask you to verify, update, or provide personal information via a link. Never click this link! Your bank, insurance company, or other official institutions will never ask for personal details by email.
When in doubt, always contact the organization directly to verify if they really sent the email. Never use the contact details in the suspicious email, but look them up yourself.
Language and design
In the past, phishing emails could be recognized by spelling mistakes, but that is no longer the case. The logos and images used look increasingly professional. Read carefully and look for irregularities. You can always compare with a previous legitimate email.
Urgency
Many phishing emails try to pressure you with urgent warnings such as “last notice.” A common example is “Your subscription or warranty expires. If you don’t pay amount X today, your subscription will be canceled.” Never respond via email. If in doubt, contact the supplier directly by phone.
Links
Fraudsters use links in emails to install malicious software or lead you to fake websites. Never click on a link you don’t trust. Hover your cursor over the link to check the real destination before clicking.
The key to stopping phishing is prevention. Office-IT can help! With our solution, you’re protected against advanced phishing, spear phishing, and malware attacks.
Is your question not listed here?
Not every IT question has a standard answer. Sometimes the right solution depends on your IT environment, the applications you use, or the way your organization operates.
We’d be happy to work with you to determine what’s needed in your situation and help you with your question.
From now on, we no longer have to worry about keeping our PCs up to date or about alerts being generated, because Office-IT monitors everything remotely and takes immediate action when necessary.
Atraxion
Aartselaar