Avast Blog_Tips & Advices: You just got a suspicious email – what do you do right now

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Here is specific, step-by-step guidance of what to do in the moment – even if you already replied or clicked

You get a suspicious email. It addresses you by name, but the wording, which urges immediate action, is odd.

This may happen to you many times a week. Do you know what to do – and what not to do – with emails like this? Do you know what to tell your parents and kids and employees to do when they open these emails?

How to spot a suspicious email

Some scam emails can be very convincing, with brand logos and official language. Remember to pause anytime an email urges you to take immediate action that could reveal private information. Look for these warning signs of a scam email:

* The sender name is vague and the sender’s email address is long or convoluted
* The email’s subject line is attention-grabbing or alarmist
* The email urges immediate action of some kind
* An offer of a major discount is dangled
* The email cites some pretense for seeking your personal information, including log-in information to a website.
* The email urges you to click hyperlinked text without clarifying where you are clicking

“Many scams and phishing emails cite offers that are too good to be true,” says Alexej Savcin, an Avast malware analyst. “Or they try to trick users to quickly click on a link with language like ‘click to win’ or ‘see who's watching you’.”

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