Spot a phishing email in 10 seconds

[[phishing]] works by rushing you. Ten calm seconds beat any filter.

The five checks

1. Sender address, not sender name. The display name says a company you

trust; the actual address is a stranger's domain. Tap or hover the name to

reveal it.

1. Pressure. "Immediately", "final notice", "your account will be closed

today" — urgency is the tactic, because rushed people click.

1. The link's real destination. Hover (or long-press on a phone) before

clicking. If the address doesn't match the company it claims to be, stop.

1. The unexpected. An invoice you don't recognize, a parcel you didn't

order, a voicemail attachment, a document "shared" out of nowhere.

1. The ask. Any email requesting your password, a code, a gift card, or a

change to payment details is hostile until proven otherwise — verify by

phone using a number you already have, never one from the email.

One failed check is enough reason to stop.

When something fails a check

Don't click, don't reply, don't forward it around the office. Report it using

your email's report-phishing button or send it to your IT support team, then

delete it. Reporting takes seconds and protects everyone who got the same

message.

If you already clicked

Act fast and don't panic — see KB-0030 for exactly what to do in the first

few minutes. Quick reporting matters far more than how it happened.