Phishing Recognition Quiz: Spot Fake Emails

1. What does a URL shortener like bit.ly help phishers accomplish?

Encrypt email content

Hide the true destination of a malicious link

Increase email deliverability

Verify sender authentication

2. What is the best first step if you suspect an email is phishing?

Click links to investigate

Reply asking for verification

Report it to your IT/security team and mark as spam

Forward to all contacts

3. Legitimate companies often use generic greetings and vague language in professional emails.

True

False

4. A phishing email requesting you to click a link and enter credentials is using which social engineering tactic?

Baiting

Pretexting

Credential harvesting

Tailgating

5. Which email authentication protocol helps prevent phishing by verifying sender identity?

SMTP only

SPF, DKIM, and DMARC

TLS encryption alone

POP3

6. What is the purpose of a phishing email that asks you to 'verify your information'?

Improve company records

Steal personal or financial information

Update security protocols

Conduct legitimate business verification

7. An unexpected attachment in an email is always safe to open.

True

False

8. Whaling is a phishing attack targeting which type of individual?

Entry-level employees

High-level executives or important figures

IT department staff only

Random users

9. What should you do if you receive a suspicious email from your bank?

Click the link to verify your account

Contact your bank directly using a known phone number

Reply with your account credentials

Forward it to other customers

10. Which of these is NOT a common phishing pretense?

Fake invoice or payment confirmation

Urgent password reset request

Notification of suspicious account activity

Announcement of a company picnic event

11. Which of the following is the most common delivery method for phishing attacks?

Text messages only

Email

Phone calls only

Social media direct messages

12. Phishing emails often contain poor grammar, spelling errors, or awkward phrasing.

True

False

13. Which email header should you check to verify the true origin of a message?

Subject line

Reply-To and Return-Path headers

Message body formatting

Attachment file names

14. What is a common phishing technique that exploits trust in authority figures?

Impersonating executives or IT support staff

Using technical jargon randomly

Mentioning competitor names

Requesting only public information

15. Legitimate companies typically request sensitive information like passwords via email.

True

False

16. What is spear phishing?

Mass emails sent to random addresses

Targeted phishing directed at specific individuals or organizations

Phishing via phone calls only

Automated bot-generated emails

17. Which greeting style is commonly used in phishing emails?

Personalized with your full name

Generic terms like 'Dear Customer' or 'Dear User'

References to your job title

Includes your email address

18. Before clicking a link in an email, what should you do?

Click it immediately to verify authenticity

Hover over it to check the actual URL destination

Forward it to your IT department

Reply asking for confirmation

19. Phishing emails often create urgency by claiming what type of threat?

Account suspension or verification needed

Software updates available

New features released

Scheduled maintenance notice

20. What is a primary red flag when examining a sender's email address?

The domain name matches the company name exactly

Slight misspellings or unusual characters in the domain

The address uses a company-specific subdomain

The email uses HTTPS encryption

Phishing Quiz: Can You Spot the Fake Email?

1. What does a URL shortener like bit.ly help phishers accomplish?

2.

What first name or nickname would you like us to use?

2. What is the best first step if you suspect an email is phishing?

3. Legitimate companies often use generic greetings and vague language in professional emails.

4. A phishing email requesting you to click a link and enter credentials is using which social engineering tactic?

5. Which email authentication protocol helps prevent phishing by verifying sender identity?

6. What is the purpose of a phishing email that asks you to 'verify your information'?

7. An unexpected attachment in an email is always safe to open.

8. Whaling is a phishing attack targeting which type of individual?

9. What should you do if you receive a suspicious email from your bank?

10. Which of these is NOT a common phishing pretense?

11. Which of the following is the most common delivery method for phishing attacks?

12. Phishing emails often contain poor grammar, spelling errors, or awkward phrasing.

13. Which email header should you check to verify the true origin of a message?

14. What is a common phishing technique that exploits trust in authority figures?

15. Legitimate companies typically request sensitive information like passwords via email.

16. What is spear phishing?

17. Which greeting style is commonly used in phishing emails?

18. Before clicking a link in an email, what should you do?

19. Phishing emails often create urgency by claiming what type of threat?

20. What is a primary red flag when examining a sender's email address?