How to Spot a Phishing Email: A Guide for Small Business Teams
Updated: Sep 28
Updated September 27, 2026 · By Shannon Jones, Roo Tech Services
The short answer: A phishing email is a fake message designed to trick you into clicking a link, opening an attachment, entering a password or sending money. The biggest warning signs are urgency, a request for money or login details, a sender address that's slightly off, and links that don't go where they claim. When in doubt, verify through a different channel before you act.
Why is phishing still so common?
Because it works. Phishing and spoofing were the most reported type of cybercrime in the FBI's 2025 Internet Crime Report, with more than 190,000 complaints. It costs attackers almost nothing to send thousands of emails, and they only need one person to click.
Phishing has also gotten harder to spot. AI tools now let criminals write clean, convincing emails with no spelling mistakes, and fake login pages can look identical to the real thing.
What are the warning signs of a phishing email?
1. Urgency or pressure. "Your account will be closed today." "Payment is overdue." "I need this before end of day." Pressure is meant to make you act before you think.
2. A request for something valuable. Passwords, payment, gift cards, a change to bank details, or a document "you need to sign" behind a login page.
3. A sender that's almost right. Look at the actual email address, not just the display name. Watch for small misspellings, extra words or a free Gmail or Outlook address pretending to be a company.
4. Links that don't match. Hover over a link before clicking. If the address it points to doesn't belong to the company, don't click.
5. Unexpected attachments. Be wary of ZIP files, documents that ask you to "enable content," HTML attachments and QR codes you weren't expecting.
6. Something that just feels off. A vendor who's never emailed that way before, an odd greeting, or a request that skips your normal process.
What are the most common phishing emails small businesses get?
Fake Microsoft 365 alerts: "Your password expires today" or "You have a new voicemail"
Shared-document notices from Microsoft, Google, DocuSign or Dropbox
Invoices from real vendors whose email accounts were hacked
Messages that appear to come from the owner asking for gift cards or a wire transfer
Fake shipping and delivery problems
Tax, payroll and bank notices
What should you do if you clicked?
Speed matters more than embarrassment. If someone on your team clicks a link or enters a password:
Tell your IT provider right away. Don't wait to see if anything happens.
Change the password that was entered, from a different, trusted device.
Check that multi-factor authentication (MFA) is on for that account.
Disconnect the computer from the network if a file was opened or something was downloaded.
Call your bank immediately if money was sent. The faster you act, the better the chance of stopping the transfer.
Make it clear to your team that reporting a click is always the right move. People who are afraid of getting in trouble hide mistakes, and hidden mistakes do the most damage.
How do you protect a small business from phishing?
Email filtering that catches most phishing before it reaches the inbox
Multi-factor authentication on email and every important account, so a stolen password alone isn't enough
Security awareness training and simulated phishing tests so people recognize what slips through
A verification rule that any request for money, gift cards or bank changes is confirmed by phone, using a number you already have
Dark web monitoring to catch stolen company passwords before they're used
Frequently asked questions
What is phishing?
Phishing is a scam where criminals send fake emails, texts or messages that pretend to come from a trusted person or company, to trick you into giving up passwords, money or access to your computer.
What is the difference between phishing and spear phishing?
Regular phishing is sent to large numbers of people. Spear phishing is targeted at a specific person or business, often using names, job titles and details found online to make the message more convincing.
Does multi-factor authentication stop phishing?
It stops most attacks that rely on a stolen password, which makes it one of the most effective protections available. Some advanced phishing kits can get around certain types of MFA, so training and email filtering are still important.
Need help protecting your team?
Our User Protection layer combines AI-driven anti-phishing, security awareness training, phishing tests and dark web monitoring for small businesses in Knoxville and across East Tennessee. Book a free consultation or call 865-332-0008.
About the author: Shannon Jones is the founder of Roo Tech Services, a veteran-owned IT company in Knoxville, Tennessee. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 2000 to 2004, including in Iraq in 2003, and is Fortinet NSE 3 certified.
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