Common Characteristics of Phishing Emails

Here are some common practices for hackers’ phishing emails:

• Have a sense of urgency. This makes you react quickly, reducing your time to think and realize the scam. 
• Ask you to change your account information because there is a discrepancy with your account or you need to verify your account. 
• Tell you your account has been hacked. You are less likely to think an email that announces you have been hacked is a phishing email. 
• Ask for a wire transfer or the details of a failed wire transfer for a compelling reason. The email usually claims the “transfer details” are in the attachment, which is malware. 
• Want to send you money, ask you to donate money, or say you have won a prize. They will either ask for your personal information to send you money, open the attachment to receive the invoice, or click a link to claim your prize. 
• Include logos, brand names, and slogans of legitimate companies. This is used to create a sense of trust with the end user.