phish·ing
/ˈfiSHiNG/
the fraudulent practice of sending emails purporting to be from reputable companies in order to induce individuals to reveal personal information, such as passwords and credit card numbers.


Very often I get phone calls or emails asking “Is this a scam?”. There is no one single way to detect malicious behavior online but there are a few things you can keep in mind.

First, if someone in your company seems to be asking for money through email, get telephone verification before responding.

Second, if someone asks you to send them a gift card instead of using a reliable payment processor like PayPal.com, they are likely attempting to steal your money. Gift cards should never be used in place of cash for internet transactions.

Here are tests that may help you detect hackers trying to steal from you and your company. Hackers will always be able to target you and your business online. Awareness is key. Evaluate the situation every time you are communicating with someone you don’t know.

Google Phishing Quiz
https://phishingquiz.withgoogle.com/
This is a very sophisticated quiz that can trick even the most experienced users. When it asks for your name and email, you don’t have to use your real information. This test is geared towards Gmail users.

SonicWall Phishing IQ Test
https://www.sonicwall.com/phishing-iq-test-landing/
Simple 7 screenshot test geared towards Microsoft Outlook users, primarily focused on detecting and identifying fraudulent addresses.

NexusTek
https://www.nexustek.com/phishing-scam-quiz/
This test reviews many different types of scams beyond just email. Very valuable questions in this test. You don’t need to enter your name and email at the end, just close the test.

OpenDNS
https://www.opendns.com/phishing-quiz/
Last but not least, OpenDNS’s 14 screenshot test will tell you if you can identify website address scams.