Phishing emails are designed to look like they come from a personal contact or a real business. Fraudulent entities use them to steal personal and financial information from unsuspecting recipients.

Here are five ways to detect a phishing message and avoid being played:

1. Inconsistent "From" address. Take a look at the sender's full email address. Are the name and domain name spelled correctly? Does it look right? If not, there's a good chance it's a phishing message.
   ‍
2. Generic greeting. Starting off an email with "Dear Sir/Madam" may sound polite, but it can be an indicator that the sender doesn't really know who you are. Take a closer look to make sure it's a legitimate email.
   ‍
3. Suspicious URLs. When you hover over a hyperlink, does the web address look accurate? Is the domain name the company's real domain name? If it doesn't look correct or doesn't match what the email says, don't click it.
   ‍
4. Terrible spelling. We all make mistakes, but a formal email from a legitimate organization will have decent grammar and spelling. If an email doesn't have proper sentence structure or is full of mistakes, you'll want to double-check its authenticity.
   ‍
5. Requests for personal information. If a message comes out of the blue to request personal information directly via email, take your time to verify that the requester is on your side. Sometimes it's worth it to pick up the phone and make a quick call to confirm. You don't want to give your personal or financial information to a fake entity.
   ‍

In addition to staying alert to these elements, Brand's Paycheck has multiple layers of security in place to help identify these types of fraud - especially when it comes to direct deposit requests. If you've submitted a request with our meticulous customer support team, you've likely seen it.

Continue to remain vigilant in all your communications, so you can rest assured that your business is secure.

For additional protection, see our fraud protection services.