26TH OCT 2023
Did you know that big ol’ Google blocks around 100 million phishing emails daily? The sheer volume of these pesky phishing emails means that digital thieves are one tireless lot. And now with the power of generative AI, you bet they churn out those emails like clockwork. Still, by looking at some tell-tale signs of a phishing email, you'd be able to put them to shame.
For every person who spends most of their day opening attachments and getting rid of offers from Nigerian princes and CEOs asking them for sensitive info…..
....about 25% of them end up clicking on a link that could potentially cost their business $1.5 million on average.
Stealing your passwords and all manner of personal information via email is a pretty lucrative business. That's why many organizations feel that email security is important.
Now, we don’t mean to be harbingers of doom and gloom here, but there’s some good news.
Turns out It is easy to recognize a phishing email. Provided you know what common phishing signs to look for.
A little education goes a long way.
What's the secret to taking down dastardly social engineers? You’ve got to look out for these ten signs to spot a phishing attempt.
Ah, the Nigerian prince scam. This is one con that everyone is familiar with. Still, we feel it merits a mention here because of pop culture and SEO reasons.
You know how this online scam goes. The email is purportedly from a Nigerian prince, a foreign government official, or a wealthy businessman, and they want to share their riches with you.
This one’s easy to spot. You ignore it and go about your merry way.
Ever got an email that asks you to verify (read: confirm) your personal information like your social security number, bank account details, or login credentials? The kind that makes anyone go full conspiracy theorist like Fox Mulder?
Excuse me? Who are you? And why are you asking me for these things?
Unless you specifically sent in a password reset request, nobody has any business asking for your personally identifiable information (PII). You can safely bin those emails.
This phishing email contains urgent language and demands immediate action from you. Actions like clicking a link or downloading an attachment like your life depends on it.
You know, something like a boss could implore you to do?
When in doubt, always use a side channel to confirm things, preferably in person. Yes, that includes double-checking with your boss too.
Did you receive a poorly written email recently that contains a slew of spelling and grammatical errors? The kind that can make your linguistics teacher disown you?
Horribly composed phishing emails are a massive red flag. And you should treat them as such.
This one leaves nothing to the imagination. Into the spam folder, it goes.
Suppose you get an email from a suspicious email address. Something that looks like a long string of random letters and numbers.
It could even be a misspelled name of a person or organization you know.
Here's a pro tip for you: Always hover (but not click) your mouse pointer over links present on your email. By doing this, you can spot suspicious URLs faster than you can say “Aha!”
When life gives you lemons, you make lemonade.
When life shows you a job offer email that requires no experience or qualifications and promises high pay for little work, you... run the other way.
Because the email sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Phishing email creators rely on common psychological triggers to compel you into clicking the wrong link.
It never hurts to learn the tactics they use in phishing emails.
This one's very hard to spot because it is done in a very subtle way.
If you get a 'business email' with a rather generic greeting like "Dear valued customer," something is amiss. This is because professional emails make it a point to address you by name.
If there's one thing we know for sure, nothing says "I'm a reputable business" quite like an email from [email protected]. So keep an eye out for the sender's email address too.
Some emails include a suspicious link or attachment you didn't expect or request. And they want you to really click on it.
What would you do?
Repeat after us: No, I will not kindly click on anything.
It's time to rely on our good friend, the “Delete” button here.
Sometimes, you may encounter an email that implores you to send money or donations urgently. These people are so nice, they conveniently include a link for you to do just that.
You see where this is going right?
There's no harm in being charitable. If you want to donate to a cause, you can always search for a charity online and visit their premises. Trust but verify.
You get an email saying you've won a free vacation or a lifetime supply of pizza.
I mean, come on. Better luck next time.
Remember, if an email seems suspicious, it's better to exercise caution and not engage with it.
And that’s it! Never give out your sensitive data and use the "Report email" feature on your email client to keep the world safe from social engineering cons. Once you get the hang of it, reporting phishing scams becomes second nature to you.
Like this post? Here’s a handy little infographic you can share with your family, friends and coworkers about how to spot a phishing email.
