{"id":279408,"date":"2025-06-24T13:57:43","date_gmt":"2025-06-24T17:57:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dearbornschools.org\/technologyblog\/?p=279408"},"modified":"2025-06-25T08:49:24","modified_gmt":"2025-06-25T12:49:24","slug":"%f0%9f%8e%a3-how-to-detect-a-phishing-email-stay-safe-from-scams","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dearbornschools.org\/technologyblog\/2025\/06\/24\/%f0%9f%8e%a3-how-to-detect-a-phishing-email-stay-safe-from-scams\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Detect a Phishing Email: Stay Safe from Scams"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Phishing emails are a constant threat, and they don\u2019t take a summer break! These fake messages are designed to trick you into giving up sensitive information\u2014like your password or credit card number\u2014or to get you to click on a malicious link. The good news is: you can avoid getting hooked<\/strong> by learning what to look for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s how to spot a phishing attempt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\ud83c\udfa3 1. Look Closely at the Sender\u2019s Email Address<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Phishing emails often come from email addresses that look almost<\/em> right\u2014but aren\u2019t. It may say it\u2019s from a Dearborn Public Schools employee or from a known service (like Google, Microsoft, or even from Dearborn Public Schools), but the actual address is off by a letter or uses a strange domain like support-google.com<\/code> instead of google.com<\/code>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2705 Tip:<\/strong> Hover over the sender\u2019s name to reveal the full email address.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\ud83d\uddb1\ufe0f 2. Hover Over Links Before You Click<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Never click a link without checking where it goes. Hover your mouse over any button or hyperlink to see the full URL. If it looks strange, misspelled, or doesn\u2019t match the company\u2019s real website\u2014don\u2019t click it!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u26a0\ufe0f Red flags include:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  • Shortened links (like bit.ly<\/code>)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Long URLs with odd strings<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • URLs that don\u2019t match the brand (e.g., googIe.com<\/code> with a capital “i” instead of “l”)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    \ud83d\udcac 3. Watch for Urgent or Threatening Language<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    Phishing emails often try to scare you or pressure you into acting quickly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Examples:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \n
    • \u201cYour account will be locked in 24 hours.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • \u201cClick here to avoid service interruption.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • \u201cUnusual login detected. Reset your password now!\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

      Real tech support rarely pressures you like this.<\/strong> When in doubt, don\u2019t rush and contact the Technology Department.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \u270f\ufe0f 4. Check for Poor Grammar and Spelling<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

      While not all phishing emails have typos, many do. Strange phrasing, bad grammar, and unusual formatting are common signs of a scam.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \ud83d\udcc1 5. Never Open Unexpected Attachments<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

      Unless you\u2019re expecting an attachment from someone you trust, don\u2019t open it<\/strong>. Malicious files can infect your device or steal your data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Common dangerous file types:<\/strong> .exe<\/code>, .zip<\/code>, .js<\/code>, .scr<\/code>, and sometimes .doc<\/code> or .xls<\/code> with macros.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \ud83e\udde0 6. Think Before You Enter Your Password<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

      If you click a link and it asks you to log in\u2014pause<\/strong>. Look at the web address. If it\u2019s not a trusted website (like google.com or dearbornschools.org), don\u2019t enter your credentials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \ud83d\udea9 7. Report Suspicious Emails<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

      If you receive a suspicious email, don\u2019t delete it right away. Report it to the Technology Department by calling the Help Desk at 73003.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \u2705 Stay Safe: When in Doubt, Reach Out<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

      The best defense against phishing is staying alert. If something feels off, trust your instincts and double-check with your tech team before clicking or replying.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Want more tips like this?<\/strong>
      Browse the Security<\/strong> section of this blog or sign up for updates from the Technology Department.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      Phishing emails are a constant threat, and they don\u2019t take a summer break! These fake messages are designed to trick you into giving up sensitive information\u2014like your password or credit card number\u2014or to get you to click on a malicious link. The good news is: you can avoid getting hooked by learning what to look…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":223,"featured_media":279409,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_kadence_starter_templates_imported_post":false,"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[47,46],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-279408","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-phishing","category-security"],"taxonomy_info":{"category":[{"value":47,"label":"Phishing"},{"value":46,"label":"Security"}]},"featured_image_src_large":["https:\/\/dearbornschools.org\/technologyblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/23\/2025\/06\/email-phishing.jpg",500,400,false],"author_info":{"display_name":"Waseem Hammoud","author_link":"https:\/\/dearbornschools.org\/technologyblog\/author\/hammouw1\/"},"comment_info":0,"category_info":[{"term_id":47,"name":"Phishing","slug":"phishing","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":47,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":46,"count":1,"filter":"raw","term_order":"0","cat_ID":47,"category_count":1,"category_description":"","cat_name":"Phishing","category_nicename":"phishing","category_parent":46},{"term_id":46,"name":"Security","slug":"security","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":46,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":1,"filter":"raw","term_order":"0","cat_ID":46,"category_count":1,"category_description":"","cat_name":"Security","category_nicename":"security","category_parent":0}],"tag_info":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dearbornschools.org\/technologyblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/279408","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dearbornschools.org\/technologyblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dearbornschools.org\/technologyblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dearbornschools.org\/technologyblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/223"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dearbornschools.org\/technologyblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=279408"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/dearbornschools.org\/technologyblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/279408\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":279413,"href":"https:\/\/dearbornschools.org\/technologyblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/279408\/revisions\/279413"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dearbornschools.org\/technologyblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/279409"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dearbornschools.org\/technologyblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=279408"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dearbornschools.org\/technologyblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=279408"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dearbornschools.org\/technologyblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=279408"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}