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Spotting phishing: how to tell an email is fake

10 October 2026 · 3 min read

The five signs of a phishing email, and what to do if you clicked anyway.

Phishing emails look more and more real. Yet they almost always give themselves away in the same places.

The five signs

• Urgency: “Your account will be blocked today” or “Pay within 24 hours”.
• A sender address that is slightly off, such as service@paypal-secure.com instead of paypal.com.
• A link that goes somewhere other than it says. Hover over it (don’t click) and check the real address at the bottom of your screen.
• An unexpected attachment, especially a .zip, .html or an Office file with macros.
• A request for your password, PIN or a code from a text message. A real bank or web shop never asks for that by email.

Clicked anyway?

Don’t panic, but be quick. Change the password of that account straight away, and everywhere you use the same password. Turn on two-factor authentication. Entered bank details? Call your bank right away.

For businesses

One click by one employee can be enough. We help with the basics: email security (SPF, DKIM and DMARC), two-factor authentication for everyone and a short briefing for your team.