Phishing 101: what to do if you get a phishing email

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Don’t panic. Again, don’t panic. Did we say don’t panic? A common threat explained in simple terms.
 
Phishing emails typically end up in the spam folder, because today’s security systems easily recognize most of them; however, these systems aren’t completely reliable, so some bona fide email messages land in the junk folder too. This article explains how to detect phishing emails, and what to do about them.

Signs of phishing email

There are several markers that are widely believed to indicate a message sent by scammers. Below are some examples.

• Catchy subject line. A phishing message will likely represent a fraction of all the mail landing in your inbox. This is why scammers usually try to make their subject lines stand out by using trigger words like “urgent”, “prize”, “cash”, “giveaway”, or similar, designed to prompt you to open the message as quickly as possible.
  
• Call to action. You can bet the message will encourage you to do at least one of the following: click a link, pay for something you don’t really need, or check the details in an attachment. The attackers’ primary goal is to lure victims away from their email and into unsafe spaces where they’re tricked into spending money or surrendering access to their accounts.
  
• Expiring timer. The message might feature a timer that says, “Follow this link. It expires in 24 hours.” All these tricks are just nonsense. Scammers want to rush you so you start to panic and stop thinking carefully about your money.
  
• Mistakes in the email body. In the past year, there’s been an increase in phishing emails sent in multiple languages at once, often with some odd mistakes.
  
• Suspicious sender address. If you live in, say, Brazil, and you get an email message from an Italian address, that’s a red flag and a good reason to completely ignore its contents.
  

An impersonal greeting like “Dear %username%” used to be a sure sign of a phishing email, but scammers have moved on from that. Targeted messages addressing the victim by name are becoming increasingly common. Ignore those too.

What to do if you get a phishing email

If you’ve managed to spot one using the signs described above, well done — you’re awesome! You can go ahead and delete it without even opening. And if you want to do your good deed for the day, report the phishing attempt via Outlook or Gmail to make this world a tiny bit safer. We understand that spotting phishing in your email right away isn’t easy — so here’s a short list of don’ts to help with detection.

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