Phishing Email Red Flag Checklist

Phishing Email Red Flags

Sender and Domain Issues

• Unfamiliar sender or a familiar sender with an incorrect or misspelled domain
• Subtle domain differences are a major red flag
  • Example: ama.zon.com instead of amazon.com

Urgency and Unusual Requests

• Overly pushy or urgent tone
• Requests that seem unusual, such as:
  • Purchasing gift cards
  • Sending money to a colleague

Unexpected Attachments

• Ask yourself:
  • Does the file type make sense in context?
  • Is it password-protected or zipped without explanation?
  • Were you expecting this file?

Suspicious Links

• Be cautious of:
  • Long links with no context
  • Misspelled versions of popular websites
  • Mismatched URLs (displayed link differs from actual destination when hovered)

High-Risk Attachment Types

• Compressed files: .zip, .rar
• Executables: .msi, .exe
• Disk images: .iso
• Scripts: .bat, .ps1
• Office documents: .docx, .xls
• HTML files: .html
• PDFs

Login Prompts After Clicking

• If clicking a link or opening an attachment leads to a login request:
  • Verify the domain carefully
  • Phishing sites often mimic legitimate platforms like Facebook, QuickBooks, or Microsoft
  • Entering credentials on these sites gives attackers direct access

General Suspicion

• If something feels off, trust that instinct

Common Phishing Scenarios

• A potential client sends a project link that points to a known phishing domain (e.g., boldsketch.pages.dev)
• A legitimate company asks you to update payment details, but the sender’s domain is misspelled
• A coworker sends an invoice that requires logging in to view

Responding to Phishing Emails

• Report the email to help improve spam and phishing detection systems
• If unsure whether an email is legitimate:
  • Contact the sender using a verified phone number or trusted method
  • Do not rely on contact details provided in the suspicious email