Phishing attacks are getting more sophisticated. But, they all rely on the same three ingredients: credibility, urgency, and action. Follow the steps below to stay safe.

✅ Check 1: Do the Three-Point Phishing Check

1️⃣ Credibility — Check the sender carefully.

Criminals try to look legitimate by mimicking trusted names.

  • Review the full email address, not just the display name.

  • Watch for small anomalies:

    • micros0ft.com instead of microsoft.com

    • Your CEO emailing from dan.theisen13@yahoo.com instead of the company domain

  • If it looks “almost right,” it’s probably wrong.

2️⃣ Urgency — Check the subject line and tone.

Phishing emails push you to act quickly before you think. Common lures include:

  • Invoice or Payment Notice:   “Your payment is overdue”

  • RFP / Bid Invitation:  “Official Request for Proposal attached”

  • Secure Document or Portal Link: “View your confidential file”

  • HR / Payroll Document:  “Your W-2 is ready”

  • Shipping or Delivery Notice: “Package delivery failed”

If an email makes you feel anxious or rushed... slow down.

3️⃣ Action — Check before you click.

Once they’ve gained your trust and urgency, attackers want you to do something — click a link, open a file, or log in somewhere.

Always hover before you click:

  • Move your mouse over any hyperlink, image, or button.

  • In Google Chrome, look in the bottom-left corner for the actual destination URL.

  • If that web address (domain) doesn’t match the sender’s real domain, or looks suspicious — stop immediately.

  • If the domain is ancilallarycheese.com, it's from fake phishing vendor, knowbe4.com. Pat yourself on the back and delete the email. Otherwise, report it to Josh.

⚠️ There's no need to Google anyone. Do not try to “solve the crime". Just follow the steps above.

✅ Check 2: When in Doubt, Use Gemini

A recent phishing trick combines a calm email with an inflammatory PDF preview — something like:

“Please review attached RFP”
__RFP_Competitor_30kOutstanding.docx.pdf

These double-extension files (.docx.pdf) are designed to trigger curiosity and trick you into opening them.

If you’re not sure whether an email is legitimate:

  1. In Gmail, click ⋮ → Show Original

  2. In the popup, click “Copy to Clipboard.”

  3. Paste the contents into Gemini and ask:

    “Is this email a phishing attempt?”

Gemini will analyze the header and structure for known phishing indicators.

Final Advice

  • Never enter credentials from a link in an email.

  • Never open attachments from unknown or unexpected senders.

  • When in doubt, verify through a known channel: a phone call, Slack, or your internal discussions.