How to Spot a Suspicious Email
8 Feb 2022 IT Services
Whether it was through your work email or personal account, you have likely encountered a suspicious email of some kind over the years. While many systems are in place to automatically remove most of these emails from your inbox, some will still get through to you and can pose a threat to your device or sensitive information. As leading providers of cyber security services for businesses of all sizes, the team at Next Hop Solutions knows how harmful phishing emails can be for individual employees and companies. That is why they have provided some information to help users understand how to spot a suspicious email and avoid the hazards it may present.
Learn about 4 tips to enhance cybersecurity.
4 Ways to Identify a Suspicious Email
Phishing emails and other potentially hazardous emails often have the following qualities:
1. Demanding Urgent Action
Phishing emails will often present a negative consequence or a loss of opportunity unless urgent action is taken. Cybercriminals often use this approach to pressure recipients into action before they have the opportunity to study the email for potential flaws or inconsistencies.
2. Poor Grammar and Spelling
Poor grammar and multiple spelling mistakes are another sign of a suspicious email. Many email programs apply spell-checking tools to outgoing emails by default to ensure they are grammatically correct. An abundance of grammatical errors and spelling mistakes often means that the email was automatically translated from another language to be used for phishing scams in multiple countries.
3. Inconsistencies in Email Addresses and Domain Names
An effective way to spot phishing is by finding inconsistencies in email addresses, links, and domain names. If the email originated from an organization you correspond with often, check the sender’s address against previous emails from the same organization to see if they match. For links, check if they are legitimate by hovering the mouse cursor over the link to see what pops up. If an email allegedly originates from a certain company but the domain name reads something else, report the email as a phishing attack.
4. Requesting Login Info or Sensitive Data
Emails originating from an unexpected or unfamiliar sender that request login credentials, payment information, or other sensitive data should always be treated with caution. Cybercriminals can forge login pages to look like the real thing and send an email containing a link that directs the recipient to the fake page. Whenever a recipient is redirected to a login page or told a payment is due, they should refrain from entering information unless they are completely certain that the email is legitimate.
To learn more about suspicious emails or to inquire about their cyber security services, get in touch with the team at Next Hop Solutions. They can be reached through their online contact form and will be happy to answer any questions you may have regarding their services.
