Phishing is a form of cyberattack wherein the malicious party attempts to lure victims into revealing confidential data or falling prey to malware infection. Despite being an old menace, it remains extremely widespread. As reported by Station X,
3.4 billion phishing emails are dispatched daily.
— which means nearly 1.2% of all emails are malicious.
Their effectiveness stems from their continuous evolution, which makes it extremely difficult to identify their harmful purpose. Additionally, significant issues arise due to human mistakes and our tendency to overlook the risks involved when we casually open and interact with emails without careful consideration.
Next, I will delve into the primary warning signs to watch out for and provide further insight into identifying these phishing scams. Let’s start.
Phishing in a nutshell
Phishing attacks
employ social engineering strategies to manipulate targets into disclosing information including personal data, login credentials, financial details, and more.
They accomplish this by contacting their targets—typically through emails—and embedding links within these messages that direct recipients to fraudulent websites. Although the phishing sites may appear highly authentic, they are generally crafted with the intention of extracting sensitive data from unsuspecting victims before transmitting this information back to the cybercriminals. This stolen data could subsequently be employed for further malicious activities or even utilized in cases of identity theft.
While phishing sites often look very convincing, they're typically designed to steal valuable information
It would be negligent of me not to point out that although phishing predominantly occurs through emails, it isn’t the sole method these scams spread. Cybercriminals also utilize voice messages for phishing (known as vishing) and SMS texts for phishing (referred to as Smishing), among others.
Basically (and regrettably), all forms of communication can potentially be exploited for phishing, yet I will concentrate on email-based phishing, since it is the most common type.
When aiming at individuals for phishing scams, hackers often imitate authentic messages from trustworthy entities to enhance the persuasiveness of their cyberattacks.
There is typically a feeling of urgency conveyed in such communications, designed to reduce the recipient’s defenses and “motivate” them to act swiftly. The aim is to make recipients believe that hesitating or examining the message thoroughly is incorrect, and that prompt actions like clicking links or opening attachments are essential instead.
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The case aside, let's examine the common indicators of a phishing email.
1. Authority and urgency
As I stated earlier, getting an email that pressures you into clicking a link or hastily make a decision is typically one designed to prevent you from pausing to determine if it's a genuine message.
Hence, if you come across an email urging you to take action quickly so as not to miss out on a great opportunity, resist being drawn in. Rather, make sure to thoroughly and coolly review the whole message.
Occasionally, fraudsters might use crude tactics to elicit a response—often through instilling fear. They won’t hesitate to pose as hospitals sharing distressing information or as physicians with urgent, critical messages.
The key point is that generally, any email causing emotions such as fear or panic should be regarded with suspicion. When you find yourself wanting to click on a link right away, that’s precisely when you ought to pause.
2. It sounds almost too perfect to be real.
A common proverb states, "There’s no such thing as a free lunch." Although this economic principle generally applies, the idea of obtaining something at no cost often leads millions of individuals to fall victim to phishing scams.
Fraudsters understand this tactic, so they frequently lure possible targets using sought-after goods. These can range from concert tickets to exclusive product releases or medicines — essentially anything that seems “free” and might prompt individuals to click on the provided links.
More specifically, criminals exploit the fear of missing out (FOMO) and rely on the assumption that individuals may take action without thoroughly considering the consequences. Once again, velocity is key— the shorter the timeframe for contemplation regarding reasons and methods, the greater the likelihood of impulsive behavior.
To boost the effectiveness of their schemes, scammers often combine these “offers” with extremely attractive deals like remarkably low prices, enticing rewards, or various lures designed to pressure potential targets into clicking and divulging their information. Therefore, if something seems overly tempting – it probably isn’t genuine.
3. Poor spelling, even worse grammar
Communications from valid entities, including hospitals, financial institutions, corporations, and similar organizations, usually undergo thorough review and editing processes to prevent the publication of typographical and grammatical errors.
Although it may not always be possible to steer clear of such errors entirely, obvious mistakes frequently signal phishing attempts—particularly when the message purports to come from a reputable entity that ought to have higher standards.
Just as before, meticulously and coolly reviewing every email can prevent you from reacting emotionally to urgent messages. The more tranquil your state of mind, the sharper your observational skills tend to be, making it simpler to identify poor spelling and grammar. This heightened awareness aids in recognizing possible phishing attempts.
4. Dispersonalized emails from unfamiliar senders
It’s typical for entities like your physician, financial institution, employer, et cetera, to be familiar with your first name and utilize it in formal correspondences necessitating certain actions from your part. The same occurs when you receive initial emails from legitimate people contacting you for the first time. After all, it would be impolite not to do so.
On the contrary, general salutations such as "Dear customer," "Dear sir/madam," and so forth might indicate a possible warning signal. This could suggest that you're potentially examining a phishing email sent from an external entity seeking your personal information.
5. Domain mismatches
One of the clearest and simplest indicators that you might be dealing with a phishing email is spotting discrepancies in the domain names. So, if an email appears to come from a business such as Amazon, it’s important to verify the sender's email address to ensure the domain aligns correctly. Should even minor details seem amiss, this may signal potential trouble.
To ascertain if a company’s domain is genuine, you can utilize previously received authentic emails for comparison against the suspicious email in question.
If you receive a dubious email purportedly coming from Amazon, verify the email domain.
While performing this task, it is essential to remain highly alert and notice even the slightest discrepancies—such as "Amaz0n" rather than "Amazon," for example.
This level of caution should equally extend to all hyperlinks within the message since suspicious domain names often signal a potential phishing attack (besides, missing HTTPS is another red flag).
I would go so far as to suggest making it a routine to observe and compare domain names in every email you receive, since this is one of the most significant indicators that something might be amiss.
6. Odd attachments
This particular warning combines elements from the preceding five alerts. It’s generally considered risky when you receive attachments via messages from unfamiliar sources, including links, documents, images, etc. Unless you were anticipating this attachment or know where it came from, it's best to avoid opening it!
These attachments could contain
ransomware
Or malware, even if the message asserts that they are from a financial institution, bill, or another type of "critical" document.
You should also watch out for fake QR codes – particularly since fraudsters are increasingly utilizing them. Scanning a QR code from a dubious email can pose significant risks and may direct you to a phishing website.
Suspect you're being phished?
Since you now have a better understanding of what phishing emails are and how they operate, let me share some steps you should take when you identify an email that might be part of a phishing attempt.
If you get an email where its validity seems questionable, a good initial step might be to reach out to the sender directly for further verification—similar to contacting customer support.
Always remember that most institutions, like your bank, typically do not request personal details through emails. Should an apparent bank representative solicit this info via mail, it’s a strong indicator that you might be dealing with a phishing scam.
Ultimately, you should report the email as phishing. Most email providers nowadays make this process simple and quick, and available with just a couple of clicks/taps.
