How to Spot Phishing

Relax. We'll talk through this in plain words — no textbook voice.

What you'll walk away with

Understand how to spot phishing, without any of the intimidation
Apply this concept right away in real-world scenarios
Learn to avoid security risks for both yourself and others

Let's think about this for a second

Phishing emails and messages share a lot of common warning signs — a sender address that's slightly off from the official domain (paypal-support.com vs. paypal.com), manufactured urgency ('act within 24 hours or your account will be closed'), grammar and spelling errors, a link whose visible text doesn't match its actual URL when you hover over it, and pressure to click an attachment or link. Banks and government agencies will never ask for your password or card number over email or SMS.

Let's connect this to a real scenario

Before clicking a link, hover your mouse over it and check the actual URL in the status bar (long-press on mobile). Read the sender's email address carefully — the display name might say 'Microsoft Support,' but would you trust it if the actual address is microsoft-support@random-domain.com? If you're unsure, don't click the link in the email — type the official website's URL into your browser yourself instead.

Carefully check the sender's email address (is the domain off?)
Hover/long-press a link to check the actual URL
Be suspicious of messages that manufacture urgency

Let's walk through it together

text

Phishing red flags
-------------------
Sender: support@paypa1.com     (domain မှားနေ)
Subject: URGENT — verify within 24 hours
Link text shown: paypal.com
Actual URL: paypal-secure-verify.xyz

You should see

You'll be able to analyze an email using three phishing warning signs.

Try it in 5 minutes

Pick a promotional or suspicious-looking email from your inbox and hover over the sender address and link URL to check them (don't click).

A quick word of caution

If you accidentally click a phishing link, change your password immediately and check your account activity — don't panic, but act right away.

Easy traps

Being overconfident — thinking 'I'm too sharp to fall for this' — when sophisticated phishing can fool even experts
Clicking an attachment out of curiosity even when you don't recognize the sender

Now try it yourself

Pick a promotional or suspicious-looking email from your inbox and hover over the sender address and link URL to check them (don't click).

You'll know it worked when: You'll be able to analyze an email using three phishing warning signs.