When a trusted friend or business contact suddenly sends you an email out of the blue asking for help, you should be cautious. This type of email is often a phishing attack. Cyber scammers are always thinking up new ways to trick people into divulging personal information over the internet. The best way to avoid falling victim to a phishing attack is to verify any requests for help or financial information by calling or researching the email source.

To check if an fake email check consider the following questions: Does the email address have multiple spelling and grammar mistakes? Is the email asking for sensitive information such as login credentials, credit card numbers or social security number? Is the email using urgent or threatening language to encourage you to take action?

Fake Email Check: Tools and Tips to Verify the Authenticity of Your Emails

Also, be wary of any emails that ask you to download an attachment or open a cloud storage document. These types of files are often malware or phishing tools that slip past email filters and could infect your device with malicious code. In addition, always double-check URLs by hovering your mouse over any links in an email (without clicking!). If the hyperlink’s URL isn’t identical to the displayed text, it’s likely that you will be redirected to a fraudulent website.

If you suspect an email is fraudulent, contact the person at their real phone number or through a verified email address from a company directory. Using an online email validator, such as IPQS, can also be helpful to determine the legitimacy of an email.