How to spot a phishing email.
by Neal Fisch in awareness, data security, email, faculty, passwords, personal security, phishing scams, security, social networking, spear phishing attack, staff, students, tips, vishing 0
With the recent flurry of phishing emails being received these days I thought I would post this quick guide to assist you in determining if the email you received may actually be a phishing email.
It could be a phishing email if:
- There are misspelled words in the email or it contains poor grammar.
- The message is asking for personally identifiable information (PII), such as credit card numbers, account numbers, passwords, PIN's or Social Security Number.
- There are "threats" or alarming statements that create a sense of urgency. For example: "Your account will be locked until we hear from you" or "We have noticed activity on your account from a foreign IP address".
- The domain name in the message isn't the one you're used to seeing. It's usually close to the real domain name but not exact. For example:
- Phishing Website: www.regionsbanking.com
- Real Website: www.regions.com
