If you use email regularly, you are likely to receive a lot of emails on a
daily basis. While most of them are legitimate, some emails are designed to
trick you into giving away your personal information. These emails are known
as phishing emails, and they are a common way that cybercriminals steal
personal information.

Knowing how to check if an email is genuine can help you avoid falling victim
to phishing scams. In this article, we will provide you with tips and
techniques to help you determine whether an email is legitimate or not.

What is a phishing email?

email-phishing
A phishing email is a type of email that is designed to trick you into giving
away your personal information, such as your login credentials or credit card
details. These emails often appear to be from a legitimate source, such as a
bank or a social media site, and they may contain a link to a fake website
that looks like the real thing.

Phishing emails can be very convincing, and they often use scare tactics to
get you to act quickly. For example, an email may claim that your account has
been compromised and that you need to update your password immediately. These
emails may also contain urgent-sounding subject lines, such as "Your account
is about to be suspended!" or "Your account has been hacked!"

How can I check if an email is genuine?

email-validation
Here are some tips and techniques to help you determine whether an email is
legitimate:

Check the sender's email address

One of the easiest ways to check if an email is genuine is to check the
sender's email address. Phishing emails often use email addresses that are
similar to the real thing, but with slight variations. For example, a phishing
email may use an email address like support@paypa1.com instead of
support@paypal.com. If you are unsure about the legitimacy of an email, hover
your mouse over the sender's email address to see the full email address.

Check the spelling and grammar

Phishing emails often contain spelling and grammar mistakes. While legitimate
emails may also contain errors, phishing emails often contain more mistakes
than usual. If an email contains multiple spelling and grammar mistakes, it is
likely to be a phishing email.

Phishing emails often contain links to fake websites that are designed to look
like the real thing. To check if a link is genuine, hover your mouse over the
link to see the URL. If the URL is different from the one you were expecting,
it is likely to be a phishing email. You can also check the URL by copying and
pasting it into a search engine to see if it is a known phishing site.

Check for urgency

Phishing emails often use urgency to get you to act quickly. If an email
contains urgent-sounding subject lines or requests, it is likely to be a
phishing email. Legitimate emails are unlikely to use scare tactics to get you
to act quickly.

Check for suspicious attachments

Phishing emails often contain attachments that are designed to infect your
computer with malware. If an email contains an attachment that you were not
expecting, it is likely to be a phishing email. Do not open attachments from
unknown senders or that you were not expecting.

Conclusion

Phishing emails are a common way that cybercriminals steal personal
information. Knowing how to check if an email is genuine can help you avoid
falling victim to phishing scams. By following the tips and techniques
outlined in this article, you can help protect yourself from phishing attacks.