Phishing or Spam ?!
Get your FREE Trial of Simulated Pishing here 

1. Purpose:

• Phishing: A phishing email is designed to trick you into giving up sensitive information like passwords, credit card numbers, or personal details. It's a type of scam.
• Spam: Spam emails are usually unsolicited messages, often sent in bulk, that promote products or services. They're annoying but generally don’t pose a direct threat to your personal information.

2. Content:

• Phishing: The content of a phishing email often looks urgent or threatening—like claiming your account has been compromised or that you need to "verify" your information. It may contain links to fake websites that look legitimate.
• Spam: Spam emails are often promotional and can be related to ads, surveys, or offers for products. They are not usually disguised as something urgent, though they can be persistent.

3. Sender:

• Phishing: The sender’s email address may look suspicious or be slightly altered to appear similar to a trusted source (e.g., “secure@paypall.com” instead of “secure@paypal.com”).
• Spam: Spam emails are typically sent from generic email addresses or mass email accounts and might not even pretend to be from trusted organizations.

4. Call to Action:

• Phishing: Phishing emails often ask you to click on a link or open an attachment that leads to a fake login page or asks you to download something dangerous (malware).
• Spam: Spam may encourage you to click on a link, but it’s more about marketing, not stealing sensitive info (though it can lead to malicious websites or tracking).

5. Risk:

• Phishing: Phishing emails are dangerous because they can lead to identity theft, financial loss, or security breaches if you fall for them.
• Spam: While spam emails are mainly just annoying and can clutter your inbox, they can still pose risks, like directing you to fake websites or infecting your device with malware if you click on the wrong thing.

Bonus Tips for Spotting & Avoiding These Emails:

• For Phishing:
  • Check the sender’s email address carefully—make sure it’s correct.
  • Look for typos or grammar mistakes in the email. Phishing emails often have errors.
  • Don’t click on links directly. Hover over the link to see where it’s really going.
• For Spam:
  • Use filters: Most email services can filter out spam for you. Enable them!
  • Don’t respond to spam emails or unsubscribe, as it can confirm your email address is active, leading to more spam.

 Final thoughts for a Gold Star approach

• Help you whole team identify Phishing attacks - we can send simulated Phishing emails each week (all different so no cheating) along with a training video each month. This helps staff to be more vigilant and on the look out for phishing emails and your Cyber Insurance company will love it too.  FREE Month Trial. Get in touch here or give us a call on 0333 577 2002 to discuss.
• Darkweb monitoring - Free with Simulated Phishing - daily check for leaked passwords that your staff have used on various external websites/portal.  Would you like a free report for your company? Get in touch
• Penetration & Vulnerability scanning - run Quarterly, or bi-Annual.  Test how secure your company is with full reporting. Your insurance company will love this one. Probably lower premiums.  We can help with Vonahi Crest Approved software.
• Cherry on Top  - Cyber Essentials Certification !  Really proves to the world how secure your company is.  Excellent for peace of mind, going for Tenders and with FREE £100k Cyber Insurance included when you pass.   We do all the heavy lifting to get you compliant, we work with the Auditors to get you a PASS.

By following our 10-point cybersecurity and IT plan, small businesses can significantly reduce their risk of cyberattacks and data loss, while promoting a secure and efficient digital environment.