by April J.

Created on: May 10, 2011

They are out there – trying to make their way into our Inboxes... trying to trick us into divulging those secret details – usernames, passwords, bank account numbers... They are phishing emails, and they are becoming ever-more-pervasive... The good news? When armed with the right tools, phishing emails can be rendered completely powerless. Read on to find out how...

Don't get them in the first place

Easier said than done, you are probably thinking... However, today's spam filters are getting better and better. Gmail, Google's web-based email client, has ruthless ones for example, and make it alot less likely that you will ever even see phishing emails. If you don't see them, you will not be forced to decide whether they are legitimate...

Learn how to spot them

Of course, relying on your spam filters is not enough. You also need to arm yourself for when you do see a phishing email, so you can recognize it and hit the Delete button before it has the chance to tempt you in and do any damage. Most phishing emails have very tell-tale red flags, and with practice, any email user can train themselves to spot these. Once you reach this point, phishing emails have lost their power. So what are you looking for?

Frantic Tone

Phishing emails typically try to instill a sense of urgency in the reader. They may ask you to do things like "response immediately!" or "hurry!" They may warn you of dire consequences if you don't hurry, such as your account being closed or a fee being applied.

Appeals to Emotion

Many phishing emails try to play on the reader's emotions, because... well... this is effective. They may spin wild yarns about relatives who have died leaving them in poverty, if they could only get that money out of their bank account with the help of a foreign bank-account holder... If an email attempts to tug at your heartstrings stop and ask yourself – is this plausible? How likely is this story to be true?

Wild Claims

Nigerian princes whose money is stuck in the bank causing them to need your help? Microsoft wanting to give you money? Strangers looking to make friends if you just send them your bank account information... Phishing emails are often rife with ridiculous claims. When you are suspicious of an email, sit back for a second and ask yourself just how likely it is to be true, and if it sounds too bizarre to be true, it probably is...

Poor Grammar and Wild Punctuation

The more primitive phishing email will often have ridiculous grammar and spelling, and may have other unusual characteristics such as multiple exclamation marks, different colored fonts, large red text etc. These can be some of the first things to look for when trying to spot a phishing email. They may also have generic greetings such as "Dear Friend" or "Kind Sir"... Why? Because they are sending the same email to thousands of people...

Deal with them safely

So you have spotted a phishing email – now what do you do with it? As tempting as it can be to reply or click on a link out of curiosity, the best approach is just to simply hit that delete button. Clicking a link can let the sender know that a real person owns the email account on the other end, and this can lead you to more spam if they sell off your email address...

Conclusion

Phishing emails lose their power once you develop the skills to spot them accurately, so the best defence is a good dose of critical thinking. With practice, anyone can get to the point where these emails no longer pose a threat to their bank accounts, security, or peace of mind...

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