Don’t become a victim. Phishing emails are sent by malicious people with the intention of gathering information, or having people fall for a scam. These are extremely dangerous to your business, and if you open them without realizing then you are opening your business to several different problems. This is especially true if you end up with a virus that loses you control of your network or some of your data. In this article, we’re going to be looking at some of the things that you should look out for, the tell-tale signs that indicate a phishing email.
Grammar And Spelling Errors
One of the most tell-tale signs of a phishing email is that the spelling and grammar is poor. Professional companies will ensure that their emails are spell-checked before they are sent, as it looks unprofessional to have inconsistencies in the email. It’s for this reason that if you read through the email and see numerous spelling errors or grammar problems, you should ignore whatever request they are making.
Threats Or Urgency
It’s also essential to understand that no professional company who is genuinely requesting something from you will issue a threat or instill a sense of urgency through the email. A lot of the common phrases that you will read for this type of phishing email include ‘if you don’t X, we will be forced to Y’, or ‘this needs to be done NOW to avoid any repercussions. If you read phrases like this in an email, then you can be safe in the assumption that it is not a legitimate email.
If you are not 100% convinced, then you can contact the company the email claims they are from and see if it was sent by them. If there is no company attached to the email, then it’s almost certainly a scam.
Unusual Requests
Have you ever seen an email that contains unusual requests that seem suspicious? That’s because they are. Any email that asks you to perform a suspicious or unusual task should be ignored straight away. This includes anything from sending over money to get the process started if you didn’t initiate the conversation, to calling them to speak about this further. While the second might not seem unusual, if you’re not 100% sure that the person emailing you is legitimate then you should not call any number they provide. Instead, look up the company contact information and use this instead.
Any Suspicious Attachments
You should never open an attachment from an email that has an unknown sender, or a sender that you are unsure of. A lot of the time, this is where hackers attach their malware or viruses, and the second you click on the attachment it’s game over. They will have infected your business network with what they wanted to, causing you to lose control of your system, or lose some of your data, depending on what the malicious virus is intended to do.
We have all been told about opening attachments to emails that we are unsure of, but a lot of people don’t think about this when they are busy and clicking through emails. If you have a managed IT service provider on your side, they will be able to provide you with more education against phishing emails and ensure that your network is as secure as possible against them.
Request For Personal Details
The final red flag that we are going to mention is that they request any kind of personal information from you. This could include your name, your address, and kind of payment information and so on. You must never give this information out to people over the phone or via email, and if you receive an email asking for it, then it needs to be deleted straight away. A business will never ask you for personal details like this as they are not allowed to do so under data protection.
As such, you can be sure that if you see an email making requests for personal information that it is not legitimate.
Get Professional Help
It’s always a good idea to have a professional on hand such as Technology Support 24/7 to ensure that your business is as safe as possible. This kind of help can help to prevent phishing attacks before they become a problem in your business, keeping you safe and your business secure. If you have already been subject to a phishing attack, we can help get you back on the right track and ensure you don’t end up in this position again.
If you would like to see how Technology Support 24/7 could act as your trusted technology support partner, why not talk to a member of our team, about our completely FREE technology support audit. To find our more contact us today or e-mail our CEO, Nick Clarke, nick@ts-247.com.
