Phishing is the word used when someone sends you a fake email designed to look like it comes from a company or organisation you trust. The goal is usually to get you to click a link and enter your password, card number, or personal details on a fake website. The emails have become much harder to spot over the past five years, and even people who work in technology get caught out occasionally.
What a Phishing Email Usually Looks Like ¶
Most phishing emails copy the logo, colours, and writing style of a real company. They often include your name. They create a reason to act quickly: your account has been locked, a payment has failed, a parcel is waiting. The link in the email looks plausible at a glance. The fake website it leads to can look almost identical to the real one. The difference is usually in the web address, which is slightly wrong in a way that is easy to miss.
The One Habit That Stops Most Phishing Attempts ¶
Do not click links in emails. Instead, open your browser and go directly to the website by typing the address yourself, or by using a bookmark you have saved. If your bank really has a message for you, it will be waiting in your account when you log in this way. This single habit stops the vast majority of phishing attempts because the fake website never gets a chance to load.
How to Check a Link Without Clicking It ¶
On a computer, you can hover your mouse over a link without clicking it. The actual web address appears at the bottom of the screen. If the address looks strange, has extra words, or does not match the company name exactly, do not click. On a tablet or phone, press and hold the link for a moment. A small menu appears that shows the full address. If anything looks off, close the email.
What SafeNet Protect Does with Email Links ¶
SafeNet Protect checks links in your email against a regularly updated list of known phishing addresses. If you click a link that matches a known threat, you see a clear alert before the page loads. The alert tells you the link has been reported as suspicious and asks if you want to continue or go back. Most people go back. The check happens in under a second and does not slow down your email.
Phishing is not going away, but it is also not impossible to navigate. The habit of going directly to websites rather than clicking email links costs nothing and takes about the same amount of time. If you want automatic checking on top of that habit, take a look at our guides and tips for more detail on how SafeNet Protect works.