“Is this a phishing email?” It’s a question that your employees should be asking more often. Phishing emails have become increasingly convincing, making it difficult to distinguish a legitimate message from one designed to steal information, money, or access to business systems.
One of the best cybersecurity habits is simple: When something feels unusual, stop and verify it before taking action.
It’s important to note that phishing emails do not always come from unfamiliar senders.
Cybercriminals may compromise a legitimate account and use it to send malicious messages to that person’s contacts. In some cases, the account owner may not even realize it has been compromised. Attackers can create hidden email rules that conceal their activity, allowing fraudulent messages to continue without immediately raising suspicion.
Cyber criminals may create an email address or domain that looks nearly identical to a legitimate one. A missing letter, extra character, hyphen, or slightly different spelling can be easy to overlook. Always check the sender’s complete email address, not just the display name.
The content of the message matters, too. Be especially cautious when an email unexpectedly asks you to transfer money, change payment information, provide passwords, share sensitive data, or update direct-deposit information. These requests can have serious financial consequences.
If an email looks suspicious, ask yourself:
- Was I expecting this email?
- Do I recognize the sender’s exact email address?
- Is the request unusual or urgent?
- Does it involve money or sensitive information?
- Can I verify the request another way?
For suspicious or high-risk requests, contact the person directly using a known phone number or another trusted communication method. Do not use the contact information provided in the questionable email.
Most importantly, never feel embarrassed about asking your IT team whether an email is legitimate. Cybersecurity professionals would rather review a questionable message than help clean up after a compromised account, fraudulent payment, or data breach.
Phishing can target anyone—from large corporations to small businesses and individual employees. Taking a moment to pause, inspect, and verify can prevent a costly mistake.
When in doubt, don’t click. Stop, verify, and ask for help.
AccuNet Inc.
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