Small Town Sysadmin
Free CJIS checklist

Tech basics

How to tell if an email is a scam

The warning signs to look for before you click, what to do when you're not sure, and what to do if you already clicked. No technical background needed.

Scam emails, often called “phishing,” are how most break-ins at small offices start. The goal is to get you to click a link, open an attachment, or hand over a password or payment. You don’t need to be technical to stop them. You just need to know what to look for and when to slow down.

The warning signs

Scammers change their stories constantly, but the tricks underneath stay the same. Be suspicious when an email:

  • Pushes you to act right now. “Your account will be closed today.” “Payment overdue.” “Unusual sign-in detected.” Urgency is designed to make you click before you think.
  • Pretends to be someone you trust. Scam emails often look like they come from a bank, a delivery company, Microsoft, a vendor you pay, or even your own boss, complete with a real-looking logo.
  • Has a sender address that doesn’t match. The display name says “Microsoft Support,” but the actual address is a random Gmail account or a misspelled company name. On a phone, tap the sender’s name to see the full address.
  • Asks for passwords, account numbers, or personal details. Real companies don’t ask you to confirm your password by email.
  • Asks you to change where money goes. A “vendor” with new bank details, or the “boss” who needs gift cards or a quick wire transfer, is one of the most expensive scams small offices fall for.
  • Includes an attachment or link you weren’t expecting. Even from someone you know, since their account may have been taken over.
  • Uses a generic greeting, like “Dear customer,” instead of your name.

Don’t count on bad spelling to warn you. It used to be the classic giveaway, but scammers now use AI tools that write clean, professional-sounding messages. Look for the other signs instead.

What to do when you’re not sure

  1. Don’t click the link or open the attachment.
  2. Check it a different way. Contact the company or person using a phone number or website you already know is real, not anything in the email. Type the website address yourself, or use your own bookmark.
  3. For any request involving money, call the person at a number you already have and confirm out loud before anything is paid or changed. A two-minute call is the single best protection against payment scams.
  4. Report it, then delete it. Use your email program’s “Report phishing” or “Report junk” button. At work, tell whoever handles your IT, since others in the office probably got the same email.

If you already clicked

It happens to careful people every day. What matters is acting fast:

  • If you typed a password after clicking, change that password right away, from a device you trust, by going to the real website directly. If you use the same password anywhere else, change it there too.
  • If you opened an attachment or something installed, disconnect the computer from the network (unplug the cable or turn off Wi-Fi) and call your IT support right away.
  • If money or bank details are involved, call your bank immediately. The sooner they know, the better the chance of stopping a payment.
  • Tell someone. At work, tell your IT person or company. Nobody should get in trouble for reporting honestly, and a quick report can protect the rest of the office.

One setting that stops most account takeovers

Turn on two-step sign-in (also called multi-factor authentication) for your email and any bank or payment accounts. Then, even if a scammer gets your password, they can’t get in without the second step, usually a code or prompt on your phone.

Where to report scams

  • Forward scam emails to the Anti-Phishing Working Group at [email protected].
  • Forward scam text messages to 7726 (it spells SPAM).
  • Report scams to the Federal Trade Commission at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

Sources

All articles