Spotting a phishing email before you click

Meet Pip, our office fox, checking email at the desk before opening links or attachments.

An urgent message asks Pip to sign in now, or the work account will close.

Wrong: trusting the display name alone, even though familiar names can hide an unfamiliar sender.

Wrong: clicking an unexpected link to find out whether the urgent message is genuine.

Wrong: opening an unexpected attachment just to find out what the sender has sent.

A phishing message could steal a password or install harmful software on the office computer.

Check one: inspect the full sender address, not just the name, for small changes or unfamiliar domains.

Check two: verify unexpected requests through a known phone number, never contact details from that email.

Check three: report suspicious messages using your workplace reporting process; leave links and attachments unopened.

An unexpected attachment arrives. Is it click, reply or report? Think it through: three, two, one.

Report is right: your support team can investigate without you opening the suspicious attachment.

Inspect the sender. Verify requests independently. Report suspicious messages.