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How to Report

Identify a Suspicious Email

When in Outlook look for these common signs of phishing or malicious emails:
1.
Display Name Doesn’t Match Email Address: The name shown might look familiar, but the email address is different. Hover over the sender’s name to see the actual email address.
2.
Hyperlink Text Doesn’t Match the URL: Phishing emails often use deceptive link text. Hover over any hyperlinks to see the actual URL; if it looks suspicious or doesn’t match the expected website, it’s a red flag.
3.
Urgent or Threatening Language: Phishing emails often create a sense of urgency or fear to prompt quick action, such as “Your account will be locked” or “Immediate action required.”

Suspicious Attachments: Unexpected attachments, especially those with extensions like .zip, .exe, or .docm, can be dangerous. Avoid opening attachments you weren’t expecting.

Spelling and Grammar Errors: Phishing emails often contain spelling mistakes or awkward phrasing that wouldn’t be present in legitimate communication.

Requests for Sensitive Information: Legitimate companies will not ask for personal information like passwords, social security numbers, or credit card details via email.

Generic Greetings: Phishing emails often use generic greetings like “Dear Customer” instead of your actual name.

Strange Email Domain: Be cautious if the domain doesn’t match the supposed sender. For example, an email claiming to be from Microsoft but sent from a random domain like “@secure-microsupport.com” is suspicious.

Anatomy of a URL (Web Address)

Anatomy of a URL: To better understand what to look for in a suspicious email domain, it’s helpful to understand the anatomy of a URL:
4.
Protocol: This is usually “http” or “https” . Secure websites use “https” with the “s” indicating a secure connection.
5.
Subdomain: This part comes before the main domain, like “mail” in “mail.example.com”. Be wary of strange subdomains, as attackers often add misleading subdomains to appear legitimate.
6.
Domain Name: This is the main part of the URL, such as “example” in “example.com”. Make sure this matches the expected sender.
7.
Top-Level Domain (TLD): This is the extension like “.com” , “.org”, or “.net”. Phishing emails may use unusual TLDs or variations of a familiar one.
8.
Path: The path comes after the domain and specifies a particular page or location on the website. Be cautious if the path looks strange or includes excessive random characters.

Report a Suspicious Email as Phishing

Open the “Report Phishing” Tool
9.
“Home” menu: You will most likely be in the “Home” menu by default, but if you are not, please select “Home” from the upper menu bar.
10.
Click the red shield icon to report phishing: Alternatively, click the down arrow next to the red shield icon to see more options, such as “Report Junk.”
11.
Confirm the Report: After clicking “Report Phishing,” a popup will describe what phishing is.

Click “OK” to proceed. The email will be sent to Microsoft and Cole Systems for investigation.

12.
Avoid Skipping Future Notifications: We recommend not selecting “Don’t show me this message again” so you can always double-check before submitting.
13.
Final Notification: You will receive a confirmation popup thanking you for reporting.

The reported message will then be automatically moved to your “Deleted” folder.

How to Report Phishing Email

Next Step

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1.

Identify a Suspicious Email

When in Outlook look for these common signs of phishing or malicious emails:
  1. Display Name Doesn’t Match Email Address: The name shown might look familiar, but the email address is different. Hover over the sender’s name to see the actual email address.
  2. Hyperlink Text Doesn’t Match the URL: Phishing emails often use deceptive link text. Hover over any hyperlinks to see the actual URL; if it looks suspicious or doesn’t match the expected website, it’s a red flag.
  3. Urgent or Threatening Language: Phishing emails often create a sense of urgency or fear to prompt quick action, such as “Your account will be locked” or “Immediate action required.”

Suspicious Attachments: Unexpected attachments, especially those with extensions like .zip, .exe, or .docm, can be dangerous. Avoid opening attachments you weren’t expecting.

 

Spelling and Grammar Errors: Phishing emails often contain spelling mistakes or awkward phrasing that wouldn’t be present in legitimate communication.

 

Requests for Sensitive Information: Legitimate companies will not ask for personal information like passwords, social security numbers, or credit card details via email.

 

Generic Greetings: Phishing emails often use generic greetings like “Dear Customer” instead of your actual name.

 

Strange Email Domain: Be cautious if the domain doesn’t match the supposed sender. For example, an email claiming to be from Microsoft but sent from a random domain like “@secure-microsupport.com” is suspicious.

2 / 2

Next Step

How to Report Phishing Email 1
How to Report Phishing Email 2
How to Report Phishing Email 3

2.

Anatomy of a URL (Web Address)

Anatomy of a URL: To better understand what to look for in a suspicious email domain, it’s helpful to understand the anatomy of a URL:
  1. Protocol: This is usually “http” or “https”. Secure websites use “https” with the “s” indicating a secure connection.
  2. Subdomain: This part comes before the main domain, like “mail” in “mail.example.com”. Be wary of strange subdomains, as attackers often add misleading subdomains to appear legitimate.
  3. Domain Name: This is the main part of the URL, such as “example” in “example.com”. Make sure this matches the expected sender.
  4. Top-Level Domain (TLD): This is the extension like “.com”, “.org”, or “.net”. Phishing emails may use unusual TLDs or variations of a familiar one.
  5. Path: The path comes after the domain and specifies a particular page or location on the website. Be cautious if the path looks strange or includes excessive random characters.

2 / 2

Next Step

How to Report Phishing Email 4 to 8

3.

Report a Suspicious Email as Phishing

Open the “Report Phishing” Tool
  1. “Home” menu: You will most likely be in the “Home” menu by default, but if you are not, please select “Home” from the upper menu bar.
  2. Click the red shield icon to report phishing: Alternatively, click the down arrow next to the red shield icon to see more options, such as “Report Junk.”
  3. Confirm the Report: After clicking “Report Phishing,” a popup will describe what phishing is.

    Click “OK” to proceed. The email will be sent to Microsoft and Cole Systems for investigation.
  4. Avoid Skipping Future Notifications: We recommend not selecting “Don’t show me this message again” so you can always double-check before submitting.
  5. Final Notification: You will receive a confirmation popup thanking you for reporting.

    The reported message will then be automatically moved to your “Deleted” folder.

2 / 2

Next Step

Report a Suspicious Email as Phishing 9
Report a Suspicious Email as Phishing 10
Report a Suspicious Email as Phishing 11
Report a Suspicious Email as Phishing 12

Next Step

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