Phishers often take advantage of timing to make their attacks more convincing. Emails sent at specific moments, such as after major events, during busy periods, or following personal activities (like recent purchases), can seem more legitimate. Recognizing suspicious timing should be one of your top priorities when evaluating potential phishing emails. Here are the key technical indicators, starting with timing:

• Suspicious Timing: Phishing emails are often timed to coincide with relevant events, such as holidays, tax season, or immediately after a personal transaction like an online purchase. For example, receiving an email claiming “Your payment was declined” right after making a purchase can make the phishing attempt seem more believable. Always consider whether the timing of the email makes sense.
• Unusual Sender Addresses: Phishing emails often come from addresses that appear to be legitimate but contain slight alterations, such as an extra letter or number (e.g., support@amaz0n.com instead of support@amazon.com). Always check the sender’s address carefully for subtle misspellings or irregularities.
• Mismatch Between Display Name and Email Address: The display name may look familiar (e.g., "John from IT Support"), but when you check the actual email address, it may be completely unrelated or suspicious (e.g., johnit@unknown.com). This is a key sign of a phishing email.
• Suspicious Links: Always hover over any links in an email before clicking them. Phishing emails often contain URLs that look legitimate at first glance but lead to malicious sites. Hovering over the link may reveal a completely different URL than what’s displayed, indicating that it's a phishing attempt.
• Generic Greetings: While legitimate companies often personalize their emails, phishing emails tend to use generic greetings such as “Dear customer” or “Dear user.” A lack of personalization is a potential red flag, especially in emails claiming to be from trusted sources.
• Attachments with Unusual File Types: Phishing emails often contain attachments with unusual or unexpected file types, such as .exe, .zip, or .js files. These file types are rarely used in legitimate business communications and are commonly used to deliver malware. Always be cautious of unexpected attachments.
• Poor Grammar and Spelling: Many phishing emails contain noticeable grammatical errors or awkward phrasing. Large companies and professional organizations typically use clear and professional language in their communications, so emails with sloppy writing should raise suspicion.
• Urgency in the Subject Line: Phishing emails frequently use subject lines that emphasize urgency, such as “Immediate action required,” “Your account has been suspended,” or “Payment needed now.” These subject lines are designed to push you into acting quickly without verifying the content of the email.
• Incorrect Branding or Design Elements: Phishing emails may attempt to replicate the branding of well-known companies but often get it wrong. Look for inconsistencies in the logos, colors, or formatting of the email. These small design flaws can be a telltale sign that the email isn’t from the real organization.
• Unexpected Requests for Personal Information: Legitimate companies will never ask for sensitive information like passwords, Social Security numbers, or credit card details via email. If an email requests personal information in this way, it is likely a phishing attempt.
• Unusual Domain Names: Many phishing emails come from domains that are close to legitimate ones but slightly altered (e.g., support@paypal-secure.com instead of support@paypal.com). Always verify the domain name, especially when dealing with sensitive information or financial transactions.