Historical reference
Recognising phishing attempts: archived guide
An archived explanation of deceptive emails, messages and websites, with practical checks from the original guide.
Recognise the pattern
The original guide described phishing as an attempt to obtain sensitive information by pretending to be a trusted organisation or contact. It highlighted urgent messages, unexpected links and imitation websites as situations that deserve a closer check.
Examples covered in the original guide
- An email pretending to be a bank asks the recipient to follow a link and verify account details.
- A social-media account impersonates a trusted contact and sends an unexpected link or attachment.
- A copied website asks for sign-in or payment information under the appearance of a familiar service.
Checks described in the guide
- Pause before acting on unsolicited or urgent requests.
- Check the sender and destination independently through a known official channel.
- Review the link destination before opening it or entering information.
- Keep security software updated and use two-factor authentication where supported.
- Report suspected impersonation through the relevant organisation’s established reporting channel.
A useful checklist, not a guarantee
These points preserve the educational purpose of the historical article. They do not guarantee that a message or website is safe, and this page does not collect credentials or investigate suspicious links.