This guide is all about how to spot suspicious or "phishy" emails.
Before you get started started with your work email, we have an important request to ask first of all!
It's really important to stay safe online. So remember to keep alert for suspicious emails or fraudulent messages. 👀 Familiarise yourself with the below tips on how to spot a phishy email.
Most of the time, dodgy emails will end up in your Junk folder (where they belong!) but scammers can be sophisticated. So if something doesn't seem right - stop, take a moment and double-check it over first.
There's a few ways to often spot suspicious or fraudulent emails which we'll cover below.
1. Always check the sender
Often what looks like a known sender is in fact a spoofer email: someone impersonating a genuine email account. So while it may look like your boss is emailing you, this could just be a "spoofed" address and the underlying email sender is totally different.
2. Spelling and grammar.
Are the words spelled correctly? Does the language used make sense? The poor syntax and the unusual language would flag up a suspicious email.
3. Is the business or domain known to you?
Does it seem plausible that they would be messaging you in this way? Ask yourself:
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Have they ever contacted you in this way before?
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If you have a relationship with the apparent sender, contact them directly via another means to double check the request or communication.
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It's highly unlikely that a business will demand money or payment details via a poorly written email.
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Always check with them first before clicking any links or entering any company or personal information.
It's always better to be safe than sorry, and you can always ask your IT person, if you're unsure about something.
For steps on how to mark an email as Junk or not Junk read on here
Let's stay safe out there!