Identifying Spam Email

Identifying Spam Email


In order to keep yourselves and the company safe it is important to be aware of potential spam emails that may target you or your shared teams inbox.

While there are measures in place to to block and prevent spam emails ever reaching yourselves occasionally there may be some that slip the net, as such it is good to know the key things to keep an eye out for. Listed below you will find the best ways to check an emails legitimacy.

Check the Contact

Checking the Contact is perhaps the easiest and quickest way of identifying spam, in order to check this in Outlook you will need to double click on the email address in the email.


You will see the further details about the Contact in pop-up box.


From here you can usually, but not always, determine the legitimacy of the email.

Format and spelling

Another key give away can be the lack of formatting, incorrect grammar and punctuation.


As shown in example given the lack of formatting is not standard for professional emails and the punctuation is questionable. Additionally, it is not signed off correctly and does not include a signature or company information at the bottom of the email as is common practice with Buttercups and other companies.

Official Communication Channels

Also, to note in the example email is that it asks for a valid Whatsapp number, Whatsapp is not an official communication channel used within Buttercups and is not used for contacting other businesses especially with your personal details. As such any emails asking for you to get in touch through an alternate method especially using personal mobile numbers or personal social media accounts is always something to look out for.

Buying Items

At Buttercups you will not be asked to purchase items with your own money especially things such as Amazon gift vouchers. However, should you receive an email or another form of contact you believe to be legitimate then it is generally good practice to confirm these things face to face either via a Teams video call or in the office.



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