No one likes spam emails. They鈥檙e full of sketchy job offers, shady prescription drugs, and too-good-to-be-true cryptocurrency schemes. But some spam emails are more dangerous than others, and phishing emails are high on the list.
We鈥檝e probably all received a phishing email and been annoyed by it. But they鈥檙e more than annoying. Phishing is a crime, one that uses tactics like deceptive emails, websites, and text messages to steal confidential information, open bank accounts, apply for credit cards in your name and more. Anyone can be phished.
That鈥檚 why we have the Report Phishing button聽and the amazingly cool tech behind it.
Report Phishing, Protect Yourself and Everyone You Know
You may have seen it. If you use Outlook app on your laptop, or even Outlook on the web, the Report Phishing button is an easy way for you to deal with a dangerous phishing attempt with the click of a button.
After spotting a phishing email, just click the button. The phishing email is instantly deleted from your inbox聽and moved to the deleted items folder.
But it doesn鈥檛 stop there. The email you reported will also be forwarded to the ITS Security team, helping us identify phishing campaigns and stopping them in their tracks.
It also goes to Microsoft to improve聽their spam filtering, using machine learning models to identify the sending address and IP, phrases and keywords, and alignment with current phishing trends. The goal is to eliminate similar phishing emails before they even hit your inbox.
Once all is said and done, the email you received is entered into Microsoft鈥檚 spam filter databases across the globe. So just by clicking the button, you have the power to cut down on phishing for everyone.
Not Using Outlook on Your Daily Driver?
Understandable. But consider logging into your email via when you spot a phishing email so that you can hit the Report Phishing button and get things started. You鈥檒l be part of a global community of people working to stop phishing emails and keep everyone safe while online.
Want to learn more? Check out our informational page about the Report Phishing button and learn ways to spot phishing on our Phishing and Reporting page.