What is a phishing email? How to recognize and avoid one

On today's internet there are many kinds of cyberattacks by black hat hackers who want to profit at their victims' expense. Phishing email is one of the most dangerous to watch for, because it targets the computer systems of businesses, organizations and individuals. Let's Mona Media find out more about the phishing email attack as well as how to recognize a scam email and avoid it as well as you can.

What is phishing email?

Phishing email (fake email) is a form of cyberattack by email that causes major damage and is especially dangerous to businesses and organizations. Hackers pose as some well-known, trusted company to scam people by email.

If you fall for it, your personal account details, business email and company network can all be breached, because you click on links containing malware that the hacker planted in the phishing email.

The content of a fake email is usually made to look almost identical to emails from trusted senders such as schools and banks. Inexperienced users believe the email really comes from a bank they do business with. Once they trust it, they readily hand over important personal information to the attacker: transaction passwords, credit card PINs, system login passwords and other sensitive details.

Common types of phishing email

Phishing email comes in many types, with different methods and different targets. MONA Media introduces the 12 most common types of phishing email

1. Fake order email

This type of fake email targets businesses that sell products by order. People open these emails without much thought, because their inbox receives orders all the time.

2. Email overload data notice

This is the most common form of phishing email. After you click a link to upgrade your mailbox storage, the malware the hacker planted in that link gets into the company's email system.

3. Online payment scam email

Usually you receive an email saying your billing address is incorrect. The email makes a request: "To fix this problem, please click the link and update your details following the instructions.".

If you have made payments like this a few times before, you are easy prey for the hacker. The link you click leads to a website that looks like the login pages you have used before.

4. Account compromised notice

If you get an email saying your account is being signed in to from somewhere else, and the email attaches link a request to verify ownership again and change to a new password, stay calm and do not rush to click the link, which is how you fall into the hacker's trap.

5. Impersonating a government agency

Fake emails posing as government agencies are made to look as real as possible. Their content is usually a warning, such as: your internet access will be revoked, or your downloaded files contain illegal files.

6. Email impersonating the tax office

This type of fake email targets the accounting and finance departments of businesses, who easily fall for it and give important information to the scammer. Accounting staff often receive notices and emails from the tax office or about other tax matters.

7. Fake prize email

You receive an email saying you have won a prize through a random draw or a purchase, which stirs up greed and lowers your guard. About 90% of prize emails are fake. Stay alert, do not click the link to claim the prize, and do not give out personal information, so you do not fall into the hackers' trap.

8. Overdue account payment notice

You use a company-domain email and suddenly receive a notice that your service payment is overdue. The email tells you to log in to the system immediately to save your important data. Of course, it includes a link to take you to the login page as fast as possible. Behind that link, though, is always a trap set by hackers to steal your information.

9. Posing as the victim

Posing as the victim is a common email scam. The scammers pretend to have placed an order with you but received no reply or product. They also warn that they will report you to the local authorities if you do not explain. The email attaches a link for you to leave a response to the buyer, and your account is compromised as soon as you log in through it.

10. Fake withdrawal notice email

This type is fairly common, with a link and a form asking you for the details needed to verify account ownership. Do not rush to give out information and fall into the scammers' trap.

11. Fake check-up email

If you suddenly receive an email saying your business email system is undergoing a check-up and asking you to fill in a form to verify, you will lose all your email information if you follow the instructions in this phishing email.

12. Posing as an old acquaintance

Be careful with emails that carry the name of a relative, old acquaintance or former colleague and ask to borrow some money, promising to pay it back soon. To check whether this kind of email is real, ask the people connected to that relationship.

How to recognize a phishing email

Most emails are filtered automatically, but in some exceptional cases you will see phishing emails show up in your Inbox. Below are ways to help you tell which emails are phishing.

Read the email without clicking links

The most common email scam is a link with malware attached, urging users to click it. These files and links carry spyware, viruses and other malicious software. Such software steals information, corrupts files on your computer, or captures important personal data, bank passwords, email passwords and more.

It asks you to declare personal information

A legitimate, trusted organization such as a bank or a real company will never require you to provide personal information by email. So never give out your personal information to any email that asks you to fill it in.

It uses urgent language

Phishing emails often use phrases that create a sense of rush and urgency so you lower your guard. This is a sophisticated scam tactic, so stay calm and be wary of lines that demand a quick response, such as "your account is being accessed without authorization from another place" or "your account has been locked for a violation"…

Check the details in the email carefully

Phishing emails usually have no company signature or specific contact details, only vague ones or none. A legitimate business always includes full contact details in its emails.

How to protect yourself from phishing email

• Always stay alert: Keep a steady mind when an email warns you and forces you to provide personal information. If you have any doubt, never enter anything through the strange links in the email.
• Use malware scanning toolsand antivirus software: If you accidentally click a link in a phishing email, your computer has quite likely been infected with malware. Use malware scanning tools to find and remove it before things get worse.
• Check the email for spelling mistakes: The text in phishing emails is often produced with automatic translation tools, which leads to spelling or grammar mistakes. A reputable organization or company would not make these mistakes. Be wary if the email you receive has many spelling errors.
• Trust your instincts: You cannot win a prize from buying at a shop you do not even know, and a bank will not contact you by email if you have never done business with it. Stay alert to the signs of a scam so hackers cannot attack you by email. Above all, never give your password or personal security information to anyone.

See the solution: Email Marketing service most professional and trusted

Questions about phishing email

What happens if you open a phishing email?

Opening a phishing email does not usually do much harm, but if you click a link containing malware, it can have serious consequences: stolen data, a breach of your company's computer systems, or a break-in to your personal accounts that causes heavy financial losses. One wrong click can lead to consequences you did not expect, so always be careful with links.

How do hackers get your email address?

Hackers who attack by email usually use their own tools to scan websites and collect users' email addresses. And if you post your email address publicly on the internet, people with bad intentions can find it easily.

Phishing email is a form of scam and cyberattack by email that is very dangerous for victims who fall for it. We hope the information MONA Media has shared helps you better understand what phishing email is and how to recognize and avoid a scam email.

You may also be interested in:

• Learn about DDoS (denial-of-service) attacks
• What is a local attack? How to protect against local attacks effectively
• What do you need to know to improve website security?