Look for suspicious sender addresses, urgent language, unusual requests, and links to unfamiliar sites.
Phishing emails share consistent warning signs. Urgency and panic language — "Your account will be suspended in 24 hours" — is designed to stop you from thinking carefully. Generic greetings like "Dear Customer" signal a mass-sent message, not a personal communication from your bank.
Mismatched URLs are the most reliable red flag. Before clicking any link, hover over it to see the actual destination. A link that displays "paypal.com" but points to "paypal-security-update.net" is fraudulent. Always check the full domain, not just the beginning.
The display name in an email can be set to anything — including "PayPal Security Team" or your CEO's name. The actual sending address, visible if you expand the sender field, often reveals the fraud: support@paypa1-alerts.com versus support@paypal.com.
Unexpected attachments are a significant risk. If you were not expecting a file, do not open it — even if it appears to come from a known contact whose account may have been compromised. Confirm by phone or a separate message before opening.