How to recognize a phishing email

The dark figure survey from 2020 shows that at the beginning of the year there was a clear increase in phishing attacks against Norwegian companies. You have certainly experienced phishing attacks against your own business email and may have been unsure if you could trust the email. We will guide you through how to recognize a phishing email.

When fraudsters send out fake emails to fish for sensitive information, they use automated tools that can generate thousands or millions of emails at once. In the emails, the fraudsters impersonate a supplier, colleague, bank, public authority, police, or other authorities that we typically have high trust in.

The content of the email is often based on trust in the sender and the recipient's emotions, such as curiosity, respect, and fear. The email can, for example, contain an “important” attachment, speculate that you have an outstanding invoice, or state that you have forgotten to enter your credit card information for a large supplier. The websites or attachments that the email refers to are fake and often contain malicious software that gives the criminals access to the recipient's email and PC - of course, the email does not mention this.

A significant increase in CEO fraud

In the last year, we have seen more of what we call “CEO fraud.” The fraudsters continuously work to penetrate the various security solutions companies have set up for their networks and have found that tailored emails to individuals in the company are often the solution. In targeted phishing attacks, the sender often impersonates the CEO or director of the company, where the sender usually requests a money transfer, gift card purchase, or other tasks that give the criminal access to sensitive information. These emails are often characterized by tasks requested to be completed urgently.

Read about how anti-phishing programs can stop phishing attacks.

How can you tell if it’s a phishing email?

Here are some tips you can keep in mind when you receive an email you think might be a phishing email:

Check the sender's address. Often, the sender's address is not forged, thereby revealing the fraudster.
Do not send personal information such as social security numbers, credit card numbers, and passwords via email.
By hovering your mouse pointer over the link the sender wants you to click on, you can see which web address it leads to.
Read the email carefully. There can often be typos in links it refers to, the sender's name, or the text in the email.
Ensure that operating systems and programs are always updated.

The dark figure survey from 2020 shows that at the beginning of the year there was a clear increase in phishing attacks against Norwegian companies. You have certainly experienced phishing attacks against your own business email and may have been unsure if you could trust the email. We will guide you through how to recognize a phishing email.

When fraudsters send out fake emails to fish for sensitive information, they use automated tools that can generate thousands or millions of emails at once. In the emails, the fraudsters impersonate a supplier, colleague, bank, public authority, police, or other authorities that we typically have high trust in.

The content of the email is often based on trust in the sender and the recipient's emotions, such as curiosity, respect, and fear. The email can, for example, contain an “important” attachment, speculate that you have an outstanding invoice, or state that you have forgotten to enter your credit card information for a large supplier. The websites or attachments that the email refers to are fake and often contain malicious software that gives the criminals access to the recipient's email and PC - of course, the email does not mention this.

A significant increase in CEO fraud

In the last year, we have seen more of what we call “CEO fraud.” The fraudsters continuously work to penetrate the various security solutions companies have set up for their networks and have found that tailored emails to individuals in the company are often the solution. In targeted phishing attacks, the sender often impersonates the CEO or director of the company, where the sender usually requests a money transfer, gift card purchase, or other tasks that give the criminal access to sensitive information. These emails are often characterized by tasks requested to be completed urgently.

Read about how anti-phishing programs can stop phishing attacks.

How can you tell if it’s a phishing email?

Here are some tips you can keep in mind when you receive an email you think might be a phishing email:

Check the sender's address. Often, the sender's address is not forged, thereby revealing the fraudster.
Do not send personal information such as social security numbers, credit card numbers, and passwords via email.
By hovering your mouse pointer over the link the sender wants you to click on, you can see which web address it leads to.
Read the email carefully. There can often be typos in links it refers to, the sender's name, or the text in the email.
Ensure that operating systems and programs are always updated.

The dark figure survey from 2020 shows that at the beginning of the year there was a clear increase in phishing attacks against Norwegian companies. You have certainly experienced phishing attacks against your own business email and may have been unsure if you could trust the email. We will guide you through how to recognize a phishing email.

When fraudsters send out fake emails to fish for sensitive information, they use automated tools that can generate thousands or millions of emails at once. In the emails, the fraudsters impersonate a supplier, colleague, bank, public authority, police, or other authorities that we typically have high trust in.

The content of the email is often based on trust in the sender and the recipient's emotions, such as curiosity, respect, and fear. The email can, for example, contain an “important” attachment, speculate that you have an outstanding invoice, or state that you have forgotten to enter your credit card information for a large supplier. The websites or attachments that the email refers to are fake and often contain malicious software that gives the criminals access to the recipient's email and PC - of course, the email does not mention this.

A significant increase in CEO fraud

In the last year, we have seen more of what we call “CEO fraud.” The fraudsters continuously work to penetrate the various security solutions companies have set up for their networks and have found that tailored emails to individuals in the company are often the solution. In targeted phishing attacks, the sender often impersonates the CEO or director of the company, where the sender usually requests a money transfer, gift card purchase, or other tasks that give the criminal access to sensitive information. These emails are often characterized by tasks requested to be completed urgently.

Read about how anti-phishing programs can stop phishing attacks.

How can you tell if it’s a phishing email?

Here are some tips you can keep in mind when you receive an email you think might be a phishing email:

Check the sender's address. Often, the sender's address is not forged, thereby revealing the fraudster.
Do not send personal information such as social security numbers, credit card numbers, and passwords via email.
By hovering your mouse pointer over the link the sender wants you to click on, you can see which web address it leads to.
Read the email carefully. There can often be typos in links it refers to, the sender's name, or the text in the email.
Ensure that operating systems and programs are always updated.