Phishing Attacks Are Growing

54% of IT professionals and cybersecurity experts believe phishing attacks will become more dangerous due to AI input in the near future, as of 2023, according to Cybersecurity Insiders. In a world where these types of attacks get increasingly common, it is important to understand the indicators of a phishing email. In this blog, we will give you an easy-to-follow checklist on how to identify these. 

The Fundamentals of Phishing: A Quick Overview

Manipulating individuals into giving out confidential or sensitive information is called social engineering. It is commonly used for some type of fraud with this information. Phishing is a type of social engineering. 

When a phishing attack targets a specific individual with a clearly defined purpose in mind, that is called spear phishing. Another type of phishing is “spoofing”. In this case, following the same idea as deepfakes, a trusted person is impersonated to appear credible. To learn more about deepfakes, consider our blog post “The Five Ways Hackers Utilize AI Like ChatGPT To Attack Businesses”.

Look out For These Signs in a Phishing Email

Requests for Personal Information

Easier said than done when we are in a rush after a tiresome day, but always listen up as soon as sensitive information is requested. ID numbers, account logins, or passwords are rarely asked for via email. In such a case, contact the company that is supposed to have written you the email. #

Suspicious Links and Attachments

Hover over any links to view the URL. If the domain or structure looks unusual or unrelated to the supposed sender, it’s likely phishing. At the same time, also be aware of certain unexpected attachments, especially if they have unfamiliar file types (.zip, .exe). These can be an indicator for malware. 

Unrealistic Threats/Urgency

Phishing emails often use threatening language (e.g., “Account compromised!” or “Payment overdue!”) to trigger an intuitive reaction from you. Another factor to this is the urgency to take action - for example, click a link. 

Generic Greetings

Instead of addressing you by name, phishing emails often use vague greetings like "Dear Customer" or "Dear Sir/Madam."

Offers That Are Too Good to Be True

Any promise of unrealistic rewards (like winning a lottery you didn’t enter) is a red flag. Think examples like “You won a $50 Amazon gift card. Secure it by clicking the link below.”

Requests

Be cautious if asked to make a payment, especially for vague reasons. These can include covering expenses or settling “overdue taxes.” If asked to perform actions you wouldn’t typically do, such as installing software or transferring funds outside usual processes, be cautious.

Tone, Spelling and Grammar

Phishing emails often contain grammatical errors or awkward language, a telltale sign of scams. Additionally, if the tone of the email seems off or inconsistent with prior communications, it could be a phishing attempt. This can be avoided by using AI, so not all phishing emails will have grammar issues.

Artificial Intelligence in Phishing

While looking for these signs can help you identify many phishing scams you receive, artificial intelligence has reshaped the landscape of social engineering. Tone, spelling and grammar, as outlined above, used to be a common indicator. Nowadays, any hacker can use ChatGPT to write a perfect email. 

Conclusion

Phishing attacks are evolving, especially with AI making scams harder to spot—but staying vigilant is your best defense. By recognizing red flags like suspicious links, urgent demands, and too-good-to-be-true offers, you can outsmart even the most polished phishing attempts. Always verify requests, double-check details, and trust your gut when something feels off. Sounds complicated? Are you concerned about other cyberattacks on your business? We are here to help! As your trusted partner, Total Assure can set up your email security, just about as any other defense against attackers. Fill out the contact form today to book a free demo!