How to report a phishing email
Phishing is a cybercrime that impersonates trusted organizations by using emails, texts or fake websites to steal sensitive information.
These messages often mimic legitimate sources, like government agencies, by using official logos, familiar language and deceptive email addresses.
By spotting and reporting phishing attempts, you can help protect sensitive information at the University of Kentucky.
How to quickly spot a phishing email
- An email claiming your account is suspended and asking you to verify your identity via a link or by filling out a Google form.
- An email warning about suspicious bank account activity that requests your PIN.
- An email containing an unrealistic job offer.
- An email from an unknown sender that creates a sense of urgency, contains misspellings or bad grammar.
Example of phishing email
How do I report?
If you suspect you have received a phishing email, report it immediately.
For Outlook emails:
- Click or tap the “more actions” button (3 horizontal dots) next to the sender.
- Click “report as junk, phishing…” or click “report” tab.
- Click “report phishing” and then click the blue “report” button to confirm your decision.
- The email will then disappear from your inbox.
For Gmail emails:
- Click or tap the “more actions” button (3 vertical dots) next to the sender.
- Click “report phishing” then click the blue “report phishing message” button to confirm your decision.
- The email will then disappear from your inbox.
What happens next?
After reporting a phishing email, it will be sent to the email provider for inspection.
The provider uses this information to block future similar messages, senders and links to prevent others from being scammed.
By reporting a phishing email, you can:
- Reduce the number of scam emails you receive.
- Make yourself a harder target for scammers.
- Protect others from online scamming.
Additional resources
- Click here to learn more about phishing!
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