How to spot a phishing email.

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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