What is Phishing?
Phishing is a type of Cyberattack where attackers deceive individuals into revealing sensitive information or installing Malware. This is typically done through fraudulent emails, text messages, phone calls or websites that appear to come from a legitimate sources. Detecting and reporting these emails in Outlook is crucial to protect your personal and organizational data.
Protect Yourself
Be skeptical of unsolicited emails
Always check senders email address carefully, It may appear to come from someone you know. If you are unsure verify with that person with a phone call or call the company directly or email from their official website.
*Never Click on Links or open attachments on suspicious emails. They may contain malware.
Detecting Phishing Emails
1.Check the Senders Email Address
Phishing emails often come from addresses that look similar to legitimate ones but will have slight variations or misspelling.
For example instead of support@company.com, you might see support@companny.com.
The contents of the email may also appear to be from a legitimate source like Microsoft but the senders email address may be something that does not reflect that.
2. Check for Spelling and Grammer Mistakes:
Many Phishing emails contain noticeable spelling and grammatical errors. Professional companies typically avoid such mistakes.
3. Examine Content for Urgency and Threats
Phishing emails often create a sense of urgency or fear, such as "Your account will be suspended" or "Immediate action required."
4. Requests for login credentials, payment information or sensitive data
For example, an email might claim that your account has been compromised and ask you to enter your log-in details to secure it or ask for "password reset request", or it might request payment information to resolve an alleged billing issue. Always be cautious and verify the source before providing any sensitive information.
5. Generic Greetings:
Legitimate companies usually address you by your name. Be cautious of emails that start with a generic greeting like "Dear Customer" or"Dear User"
Report Phishing
1. Select the email and report
In Outlook select the suspicious email you would like to report.
The click the Report Message option which located on the far right action bar on the Classic version of outlook and beside Archive on New Version
2. Select Report Type
After Clicking the report button a drop down menu will appear
Select the "Phishing" option from the list
All done, now the email will be removed and reported
Outlook on the Web:
On the Web version of Outlook, click the phishing email then the 3 Dots (More Actions) in the top-right corner and Select Report Phishing.
