ScamGuard

🎣 How to Spot a Phishing Email — 9 Red Flags

Phishing emails cost users billions each year and the AI-generated ones look perfect. Paste any suspicious email below — ScamGuard's AI gives you a verdict in seconds, no clicking required.

What ScamGuard checks for

  • AI-powered phishing detection
  • Lookalike-link & sender-spoof analysis
  • Brand-impersonation checks (PayPal, Microsoft, banks)
  • Attachment risk scoring
  • Plain-English red flags explained
  • Free — no signup

⚠️ Red flags and warning signs

  • Sender address doesn't match the brand domain
  • 'Your account will be suspended in 24 hours'
  • Generic greeting ('Dear customer', not your name)
  • Hover-over link goes to a different domain
  • Unexpected attachment (PDF, ZIP, HTML)
  • Asks for password, OTP, or payment in gift cards

How to protect yourself

  • Check any suspicious email in ScamGuard before clicking
  • Never log in via a link in an email — type the URL yourself
  • Enable two-factor auth on every important account
  • Use a password manager (it won't autofill on fake sites)
  • Report phishing to APWG, the impersonated brand, and ScamGuard
  • Train your team — most breaches start with one phishing click

ScamGuard tools you can use right now

Frequently asked questions

What is a phishing email?

A phishing email impersonates a trusted brand (bank, courier, Microsoft, PayPal) to trick you into clicking a malicious link, opening a malware attachment, or replying with passwords, OTPs or payment details.

What are the biggest red flags?

1) Sender address doesn't match the brand domain, 2) urgent threat ('your account will be closed'), 3) generic greeting ('Dear customer'), 4) lookalike link (hover before clicking), 5) unexpected attachment, 6) spelling/grammar errors, 7) request for password or OTP, 8) payment in gift cards or crypto, 9) reply-to address differs from sender.

How do I check if an email is a phishing scam?

Paste the suspicious message into ScamGuard. Our AI scans the sender, links, language and known patterns and gives a verdict in seconds — without you having to click anything.

What should I do if I clicked a phishing link?

Don't enter any data. Close the tab. Change the password for the impersonated service immediately (from a known-good URL). Run a virus scan. If you entered card details, call your bank and freeze the card.

Are phishing emails always poorly written?

No — AI-generated phishing in 2025+ is grammatically perfect and personalized. Trust the technical signals (sender domain, link destination, urgency) over the writing quality.

Where do I report a phishing email?

Forward to reportphishing@apwg.org, your email provider's abuse address (e.g. phishing@paypal.com for PayPal), and submit it to ScamGuard so we warn other users about the campaign.

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