How to tell if an email is fake

Quick verification steps

• Expand the sender address and look at the domain after the @. That is the real sender, not the display name.
• Hover over links (do not click) and check the destination URL. Does it go where you would expect?
• Watch for pressure language: "account suspended," "verify immediately," "action required within 24 hours."
• If you want to go deeper, paste the headers into our email analyzer and check SPF, DKIM, and DMARC results.

What to do instead of clicking

Type the company's website into your browser yourself. Log in from there and check your notifications. If there is actually a problem with your account, you will see it. If there is not, the email was fake.

Things to avoid

• Do not open attachments from senders you were not expecting. Even if the file name looks normal.
• Never send passwords or verification codes by email. No real company asks for this.
• Do not panic over threats about account deletion. That is exactly what they want.

What these scam emails sound like

"Your account will be suspended in 30 minutes. Verify now."

"Invoice attached. Payment overdue. Click secure portal."

Both are textbook phishing. Real companies do not give you 30-minute ultimatums by email.

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