Warning signs to look for
Take a moment to check these before you act on any message:
- Urgency or threats, such as "your account will be closed today"
- An unexpected request for money, gift cards, passwords or one-time codes
- A sender address that is close to the real one but not identical
- Links that show a different address when you hover over them
- Attachments you were not expecting, especially from someone you do not know
- Spelling and tone that do not match how that person or company normally writes
What to do instead
Do not click the link or open the file. Contact the sender using a phone number or website you already know, not the details in the message. Report the message to your IT contact or the email provider.
What if you already clicked?
Act quickly and calmly:
- Do not enter any more information on the page
- Change the password for any account you typed in, and for any other account that uses the same password
- Turn on two-step verification for important accounts
- Tell your IT contact or your provider so that they can check for further problems
How a business can reduce the risk
Short staff awareness sessions, two-step verification on email and banking, regular software updates and tested backups all make an attack harder and less damaging.