Phishing Emails

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Phishing Emails Introduction

Phishing emails are a form of Phishing attack that tries to steal your money, identity, and other forms of information. For example; credit card numbers, bank information & passwords are the most targeted pieces of information that they attempt to steal.

Cybercriminals usually pretend to be respectable or known companies, friends, or colleagues in a fake message (this could be emailed, via text, or provided over a call), which contains a link to a phishing website that tells you to enter information. However, this information is not received by the legitimate company and instead is sent straight to the attacker.

Learn to spot a phishing message

Below are some ways to recognise a phishing email:

Urgent call to action or threats
Be careful of emails that tell you that you must click, call, or open an attachment instantly. Often, they'll try to have you act now immediately for a reward or to avoid a fee. This, therefore, creates a false sense of extreme urgency and this is a common trick of phishing attacks and scams. Doing so, therefore, prevents the opportunity you may consult others on the matter.

Bad Grammar & Spelling Mistakes
It's common for known organisations and companies to have a number of staff hired to write content for emails sent out to their customers to make sure it is of high quality and professionally tailored to you.

It's common for phishing emails to typically show obvious spelling and grammar errors amongst the email. There are a number of reasons as to why this occurs - sometimes due to translation or to even dodge filters that are setup to negate and block these types of attacks.

Uncommon Senders
It's pretty common from a business perspective to receive emails from a new recipient for the first time, however, this sometimes can be a clear indication of a phishing email. If you're unsure about the email, make sure to take extra caution and don't click or open any attachments unless you're absolutely certain.

Common Senders
Contrary to Uncommon Senders are those that you may recognise. It's becoming a common method for Cybercriminals to disguise themselves as well-known companies by using closely matched email addresses that a well-known company also uses.

Additionally, it's not uncommon for Cybercriminals to breach large networks to send out phishing emails, therefore, making the email recipient that you receive legitimate from the original accounts. If you're unsure, proceed with caution.

Unexpected Links & Attachments
When reading and dealing with emails, be absolutely sure that you are confident you're aware of the source and that you had been awaiting the link or document. If you believe that the email is a potential scam and there is a link found in the email, DO NOT CLICK the link.

Instead, you can inspect the link by hovering your mouse over the hyperlink to find out whether the link has been modified or not. If the link is modified then this is a give-a-way that the email is a phishing attempt. If the link is unmodified, this could still be dangerous to click. Avoid clicking links unless you're absolutely sure.

Follow Up Steps

  1. Never click any links or open any attachments if you're unsure of the legitimacy of the email. If you'd like to confirm whether the email is correct, visit the legitimate website from the company in question (via your bookmark or by search) and contact them using the channels that they provide.
  2. If the email is coming from someone that you know personally, contact that person via another method to confirm the email is legitimately from them.
  3. If you're unsure, you can contact Digital Zest via support@digitalzest.co.uk and we'll try to advise where possible.