Modern phishing emails are a completely different problem from the obvious fakes of ten years ago. AI-generated text, accurate company branding, and personalized details from data breaches make current phishing nearly indistinguishable from real emails. Visual inspection alone isn't enough anymore.
THE TELLS THAT STILL WORK
- Artificial urgency — "Your account will be suspended in 24 hours." Legitimate organizations don't manufacture urgency to force you to click without thinking. The pressure itself is the attack.
- The actual sending domain — Not the display name, which can say anything. The actual domain in the From header. "support@amazon-secure-billing.com" is not Amazon. Hover links before clicking.
- Requests that don't match the channel — Banks don't ask you to verify accounts via email link. If an email asks you to do something a real organization would do through their app, go there directly. Never use the link in the email.
- Unexpected attachments — Even from known senders. Compromised email accounts send malicious attachments to contact lists. Verify through a separate channel before opening.
⚠️ The most dangerous phishing is targeted (spear phishing) — using your name, recent transactions, and apparently known senders. No visual inspection catches these reliably. The only reliable defense is behavioral: go directly to sites rather than clicking links in email.
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