IS THIS EMAIL LEGIT:? 7 WAYS TO VERIFY BEFORE YOU CLICK

Direct answer

To verify if an email is legitimate, check these seven indicators: sender address authenticity, email authentication records (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), link destinations before clicking, attachment safety, message urgency and tone, request verification through secondary channels, and domain age and reputation. According to the FBI, phishing was the most reported cybercrime in 2024 with 193,407 complaints. Taking 60 seconds to verify an email can prevent thousands of dollars in losses.

What is Email verification?

Email verification is the process of confirming that an email message originated from its claimed sender and has not been tampered with during transmission. This involves examining technical authentication records, analyzing sender behavior patterns, and cross-referencing requests through independent communication channels.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) defines email authentication as the use of protocols like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC to guard against senders spoofing another domain and initiating messages with bogus content. These protocols work together to verify sender identity and protect message integrity.

Email verification is not a single action but a systematic approach to evaluating trustworthiness before taking any action requested in the message.

Why does Email verification matter?

Fraudulent emails cost American businesses and individuals $16.6 billion in 2024, according to the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center. This represents a 33% increase from the previous year. Phishing remains the most reported cybercrime, with nearly 200,000 complaints filed in 2024 alone.

Business Email Compromise (BEC) schemes accounted for $2.77 billion in reported losses across 21,442 incidents in 2024. The average loss per BEC incident reached $129,000. These attacks target organizations of all sizes, from sole proprietors to multinational corporations.

The Association for Financial Professionals reports that 63% of organizations experienced BEC attacks in 2024. Small businesses are particularly vulnerable because they often lack dedicated security teams and formal verification procedures.

Phishing losses jumped from $18.7 million in 2023 to $70 million in 2024, nearly quadrupling in a single year. This surge demonstrates that attackers are becoming more sophisticated and successful at bypassing traditional security measures.

The human cost extends beyond financial losses. Victims report psychological distress, damaged business relationships, job losses, and in severe cases, business closure. Proper email verification is the first line of defense against these outcomes.

How do Email attacks work?

Attackers follow a predictable pattern when conducting email fraud. Understanding these steps helps identify suspicious messages before damage occurs.

Step 1: Research and reconnaissance

Attackers gather information about targets from social media, company websites, press releases, and public records. They identify key personnel, business relationships, payment schedules, and communication patterns. This research enables highly personalized attacks that appear legitimate.

Step 2: Domain setup and spoofing

Criminals register domains that closely resemble legitimate business addresses. Common techniques include substituting similar characters (using "rn" instead of "m"), adding extra letters, or using different top-level domains. They may also compromise legitimate email accounts through phishing or credential theft.

Step 3: Timing and context

Attacks are timed strategically. Criminals target quarter-end periods, tax season, or times when executives are traveling. They monitor real conversations and insert themselves into existing email threads, making their messages appear as natural continuations of legitimate discussions.

Step 4: The request

The fraudulent email contains a specific action request: wire transfer, gift card purchase, payment information update, or credential submission. These requests create urgency and discourage verification. Language emphasizes confidentiality, time sensitivity, or executive authority.

Step 5: Extraction and disappearance

Once funds are transferred or credentials captured, attackers quickly move money through multiple accounts, cryptocurrency exchanges, or international transfers. By the time fraud is discovered, funds are often unrecoverable.

What happened to Orion S.A.?

In August 2024, carbon black manufacturer Orion S.A. disclosed a $60 million loss to a Business Email Compromise attack in an SEC filing. A non-executive employee was deceived into initiating multiple wire transfers to accounts controlled by attackers.

The attack did not require sophisticated hacking. No systems were breached. No malware was deployed. The criminals simply convinced an employee that their requests were legitimate.

Orion's SEC filing stated the company was working with law enforcement to pursue recovery through all legally available means. The incident demonstrates that large, established corporations with professional financial controls remain vulnerable to social engineering.

This case illustrates several critical lessons. The attack targeted a regular employee, not an executive. Multiple transfers occurred before detection. The total loss exceeded many companies' annual security budgets. Traditional perimeter security provided no protection against a trusted insider acting on fraudulent instructions.

Similar attacks have affected government agencies, educational institutions, healthcare systems, and nonprofits. The Town of Arlington, Massachusetts lost nearly $500,000 in 2024 when scammers hijacked a construction invoice thread. Johnson County Schools in Tennessee lost $3.36 million to attackers impersonating textbook vendor Pearson.

How can you detect a fraudulent Email?

Use this seven-point checklist to evaluate any email requesting action, information, or payment.

1. Examine the sender address carefully

Look at the actual email address, not just the display name. Hover over the sender field to reveal the true address. Check for character substitutions, extra letters, or domain variations. The address "accounting@company.co" is not the same as "accounting@company.com."

2. Check Email authentication status

View the email headers to verify SPF, DKIM, and DMARC results. Legitimate organizations configure these protocols to prove message authenticity. Failed authentication is a strong indicator of spoofing. Most email clients allow header viewing through message options or properties.

3. Inspect links before clicking

Hover over any link to preview the destination URL. Compare it to the expected domain. Watch for URL shorteners, redirects, or domains that appear similar but differ in spelling. Never click links in unexpected messages requesting account verification or password reset.

4. Evaluate attachment risk

Unexpected attachments warrant suspicion, especially executable files, macros-enabled documents, or compressed archives. Verify with the sender through a separate communication channel before opening. Use your organization's secure file sharing platform for large or sensitive documents.

5. Analyze message tone and urgency

Fraudulent emails often create artificial urgency. Phrases like "immediate action required," "your account will be suspended," or "do not discuss with anyone" are manipulation tactics. Legitimate business communications rarely demand instant action without prior notice.

6. Verify requests through secondary channels

Before acting on any financial request or sensitive information disclosure, confirm through a separate communication method. Call the requester using a known phone number, not one provided in the email. Use your company directory or established contact records.

7. Check domain age and reputation

Recently registered domains are common in phishing attacks. Use WHOIS lookup tools to check when a domain was created. Domains registered within the past few months requesting financial transactions deserve heightened scrutiny.

What are the best prevention practices?

Implementing systematic prevention measures reduces vulnerability to email-based attacks.

Enable Multi-Factor Authentication

MFA protects email accounts from credential theft. In 2023, 58% of BEC attacks targeted organizations without MFA. By early 2024, only 25% of attacks hit organizations lacking MFA. This shift demonstrates that attackers seek easier targets when MFA is present.

Implement Email authentication protocols

NIST Special Publication 800-177 recommends deploying SPF, DKIM, and DMARC for all organizational domains. CISA Binding Operational Directive 18-01 requires federal agencies to implement these protocols. Setting DMARC policy to "reject" provides the strongest protection against domain spoofing.

Establish payment verification procedures

Require verbal confirmation for any payment instruction change, new vendor setup, or wire transfer above a defined threshold. Use phone numbers from established records, not those provided in the email. Document verification steps for audit purposes.

Conduct regular security awareness training

Train employees to recognize phishing indicators and report suspicious messages. Include realistic simulations that test actual behavior. Update training materials as attack techniques evolve. Extend awareness programs to contractors, vendors, and temporary staff.

Monitor domain registrations

Use brand monitoring services to detect lookalike domain registrations. Early awareness of impersonation attempts enables proactive blocking and employee alerts. Consider defensive registration of common misspellings of your organization's domain.

Review Email filtering rules

Periodically audit mailbox rules for unauthorized forwarding or deletion rules. Attackers often create inbox rules to hide their activity and intercept legitimate responses. Check for rules forwarding mail to external addresses.

What should you do if you suspect Email fraud?

Rapid response can limit damage and improve recovery prospects when fraud is suspected or confirmed.

Immediate actions (First 24 Hours)

Stop all pending transactions related to the suspected fraud. Contact your financial institution immediately to request a recall or freeze on transferred funds. The FBI reports that quick action significantly improves recovery rates. Document everything: preserve the fraudulent email, note the timeline, and record all communications.

Notification and reporting

Report the incident to the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov. File reports regardless of the amount lost. The IC3 may assist financial institutions and law enforcement in freezing funds. Notify your organization's IT security team, legal counsel, and appropriate management.

Investigation and remediation

Conduct a thorough review to determine how the attack succeeded. Check for compromised accounts, malicious inbox rules, or ongoing access. Reset credentials for any potentially affected accounts. Review recent transactions for additional fraudulent activity.

Recovery efforts

Work with your financial institution on recovery procedures. Different institutions have varying policies for fraud recovery. The FBI IC3 Recovery Asset Team reported a 66% success rate in freezing fraudulent BEC transfers in 2024. Time is critical because funds move quickly through multiple accounts.

Process improvement

Use the incident to strengthen controls. Update verification procedures based on lessons learned. Brief staff on the specific techniques used in the attack. Consider whether additional technical controls would have prevented or detected the fraud earlier.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I trust an email just because it passed spam filters?

No. Spam filters catch many threats but cannot detect all fraudulent emails. Business Email Compromise attacks specifically design messages to bypass automated filters by using legitimate accounts, avoiding malicious attachments, and mimicking normal business communication. Human verification remains essential for requests involving financial transactions or sensitive information.

How do I check if an email passed SPF, DKIM, and DMARC?

Most email clients allow you to view message headers through options or properties menus. Look for "Authentication-Results" in the headers. You will see pass or fail results for SPF, DKIM, and DMARC. Online header analyzer tools can parse this information into readable formats. A passing result indicates the message came from authorized servers for that domain.

What if the email comes from someone I know and their account was hacked?

Account compromise is a primary vector for BEC attacks. If a message from a known contact contains unusual requests, verify through a different communication channel. Call them directly using a number you have on file. Trust your instincts when something feels wrong, even from familiar senders. Compromised accounts often send requests that differ from normal communication patterns.

Are there tools that can verify emails automatically?

Email security solutions can automate many verification checks, including authentication validation, link analysis, and sender reputation scoring. However, no tool eliminates the need for human judgment on context-dependent decisions. Automated tools serve as an additional layer of protection, not a replacement for critical thinking about unusual requests.

Should I report phishing attempts even if I did not fall for them?

Yes. Reporting attempted attacks helps security teams identify threats targeting your organization and improves protective filters for others. Forward suspected phishing to your IT security team. Report to the Anti-Phishing Working Group at reportphishing@apwg.org. Your report contributes to broader threat intelligence that protects everyone.

Executive summary

Email verification is essential because fraudulent emails caused $16.6 billion in losses in 2024. The FBI received 193,407 phishing complaints, making it the most reported cybercrime. Business Email Compromise alone accounted for $2.77 billion in losses.

Seven verification steps protect against fraud: check sender addresses carefully, verify email authentication records, inspect links before clicking, evaluate attachments cautiously, question urgent requests, confirm through secondary channels, and research unfamiliar domains.

NIST recommends implementing SPF, DKIM, and DMARC protocols for email authentication. Multi-factor authentication significantly reduces account compromise risk. Verbal verification of payment changes is the most effective defense against wire fraud.

If you suspect fraud, act immediately. Contact your financial institution to freeze funds. Report to the FBI IC3 at ic3.gov. Quick response dramatically improves recovery prospects.

The most sophisticated security technology cannot replace human judgment. Every email requesting action deserves verification proportional to the risk involved. Sixty seconds of verification can prevent losses that take years to recover.

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Sources: FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center 2024 Annual Report, NIST Special Publication 800-177, CISA Binding Operational Directive 18-01