How Do You Report Phishing?
Report a suspicious message through your normal reporting route.
Free video lesson · 1:15
How Do You Report Phishing?
Phishing Awareness for Beginners
Music: “Thinking Music” by Kevin MacLeod. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0.
Report a suspicious message through your normal reporting route.
Read the video transcript
Reporting phishing means showing a suspicious message to someone who can help deal with it. You do not need proof first. Being unsure is enough to ask for help.
At school or work, use the reporting button or support contact your organization provides. That sends the concern to the people responsible for checking it. Keep the suspicious links and files unopened.
For a personal inbox, look for the email service’s report-phishing option. On a phone, there may be a report-junk option for texts. Wording varies by app.
Describe what happened plainly. Say whether you only received the message, opened a page, typed information, or opened a file. These are different actions, and the details help someone choose the right response.
Do not forward the message around to friends as a warning they might click. Follow the reporting process instead. If you already interacted with it, report that too. A quick, honest report helps more than staying quiet.
For another clear example, watch What Is Phishing? Then try What Should You Do After Clicking a Phishing Link?
The short answer
Reporting phishing means showing a suspicious message to someone who can help deal with it. You do not need proof first. Being unsure is enough to ask for help.
A simple example
At school or work, use the reporting button or support contact your organization provides. That sends the concern to the people responsible for checking it. Keep the suspicious links and files unopened.
For a personal inbox, look for the email service’s report-phishing option. On a phone, there may be a report-junk option for texts. Wording varies by app.
Describe what happened plainly. Say whether you only received the message, opened a page, typed information, or opened a file. These are different actions, and the details help someone choose the right response.
Do not forward the message around to friends as a warning they might click. Follow the reporting process instead. If you already interacted with it, report that too. A quick, honest report helps more than staying quiet.
Put it into practice
- Use your school or workplace’s official reporting process.
- Say exactly what you did, including entering information or opening a file.
- For a personal inbox, use its report-phishing option and seek help if you interacted.
Check your understanding
You are not certain a message is malicious. Must you prove it before reporting?
Answer
No. A report can ask for help checking a suspicious message. Explain what you saw and what you did without guessing.
Explore next
Follow the free video course one question at a time. Teams can practise these habits through security training. For the cryptography protecting your systems, explore a cryptography audit.