I finally cracked a phishing email thanks to one tiny detail from an IT guy

My coworker Dave in IT once told me to always check the actual sender address, not just the display name. I laughed it off until last month when I got an email that looked exactly like our CEO's urgent request for a wire transfer. The display name said 'CEO John Miller' but the real address was some random Gmail account. I almost fell for it, but Dave's advice stopped me cold. Has anyone else had a close call like that recently?

2 comments

2 Comments

sam_wood6011d ago

That 'actual sender address' tip is the one thing that saves more people than anything else. I check it religiously now after a similar close call with a fake invoice. Another good trick is hovering over any link before clicking. Look at the bottom left of your browser. If the URL looks off or has random numbers, delete the email. Also watch for weird urgency in the subject line. Scammers always rush you.

daniel55211d ago

Hovering over links before clicking is such a simple trick that too many people ignore.