How to Stop Phishing Emails

iEditorial Note: These blog posts represent the opinion of DoNotPay’s Writers, but each person’s situation and circumstances vary greatly. As a result, you should make sure to do your own independent research. Because everyone is unique, our self-help tools are never guaranteed to help with any specific situation. DoNotPay is not a law firm and is not licensed to practice law. DoNotPay provides a platform for legal information and self-help.

How to Stop Phishing Emails? Block Them With DoNotPay!

Spam email in the form of different ads and newsletters is annoying enough, but what to do about unsolicited messages that endanger your online safety and finances? According to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center, dangerous phishing schemes and other Internet crimes cost Americans around $3.5 billion in 2019.

If you receive an email asking you to confirm or provide some sensitive information, you are probably being targeted by a phishing attack, no matter how legit it seems. These emails often include links or files that the scammers want you to click on. What happens when you click on a link in a spam email? Let’s hope you never find out the hard way.

Block Phishing Emails With DoNotPay’s Help!

Whether it’s a supposed Nigerian government official who can get you in on a multi-million dollar project for a small fee or a fake lottery notification that claims you will get access to unimaginable riches if you just click on that link, DoNotPay can protect you. Helping our clients fight scammers, and protecting their hard-earned money is our passion. That’s why DoNotPay developed a tool that saves you from the dangers of phishing emails easily and hassle-free.

Why compromise your online safety when you can protect yourself in just a few clicks? DoNotPay is your best defense, and you can stop spam emails and phishing attempts with these simple steps:

  1. Set up a DoNotPay profile in a
  2. Select Spam Collector from the homepage
  3. Type in your email address
  4. Send suspicious phishing emails to spam@donotpay.com

DoNotPay will immediately block the sender and unsubscribe you from any related mailing lists so that you don’t have to worry about it anymore. That’s not where the good news stops—your AI Consumer Champion will notify you about any existing class actions and investigations related to the sender. As our virtual legal team loves some good spam email revenge, once you get the notification, you will be able to sign the class action and make money when the sender is found guilty.

How to Stop Phishing Emails the Harder Way?

Stopping phishing emails will require a good eye and a lot of knowledge about this enemy. As scammers become smarter and smarter, it’s getting more difficult to recognize a scam attempt instantly. No matter how sophisticated the phishing attempts may be, some general tell-tale signs still exist.

Since legitimate companies rarely ask for your personal information, the most obvious indication that you’re dealing with a scammer is that the email asks for one of the following details:

  • Bank account numbers
  • Credit card information
  • Social Security numbers
  • PINs
  • Your personal details, like your birthday or your mother’s maiden name
  • Usernames and passwords

No matter how vigilant you are, mistakes can happen out of curiosity, speed, or attention slips, so it would be good to ensure some additional protection. Here are some recommendations about what you can do to minimize the phishing threat:

  • Use multi-factor authentication for your accounts whenever possible. The additional steps, ranging from receiving passcodes via text messages to fingerprint scans, may seem like too much hassle, but they can also prove invaluable when it counts
  • Set your phone software updates to automatic. This way, you will ensure that your device has the latest security solutions that developers constantly work on
  • Install security software on your computer. Depending on the type and the service plan, antivirus programs will help minimize the damage even if you click on that bad link

Reporting Phishing Emails

Reporting email abuse might not look productive, but it helps quite a lot. Based on reports and submitted complaints, different organizations for cybercrime get a better insight into scam trends. With that knowledge, they can implement better protection and more successful investigation methods for the future.

Here’s an overview of federal organizations that deal with phishing reports and how to contact them:

Organization

Contact
Federal Trade Commission (FTC)

Use the FTC Complaint Assistant web page

Anti-Phishing Working Group

Forward the phishing email to reportphishing@apwg.org
Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3)

File an online complaint at this link

How to Stop Phishing Emails in Gmail?

With almost two billion users, Gmail is the top email service worldwide. No great power comes without responsibility, so Google’s experts work day and night to improve Gmail’s spam and phishing filters. They might work hard, but scammers work harder. Your inbox will sooner or later be exposed to a phishing attempt that needs manual handling.

If you recognize that someone is trying to scam you by spoofing a legitimate company’s email or any other method that raises your suspicion, report it like this:

  1. Log into your Gmail account
  2. Open the dodgy email
  3. Click on three dots next to the Reply button to access more options
  4. Select Report phishing

Besides this method, you can also block emails on Gmail or send emails to Spam.

Prevention Is the Key if You want to Stop Email Phishing

Being careful can’t hurt, and it’s better to be safe than sorry. Practicing the right approach to unfamiliar emails can go a long way, so try some of the following strategies to get the best out of your prevention methods:

  1. If the information in that email sounds too good to be true, you’re most likely dealing with a scam attempt
  2. Double-check spelling errors and discrepancies since scammers count on your carelessness
  3. Be careful about what kind of information you share on social media
  4. Make sure you know how to block spam email on Android and iPhone
  5. Learn how to stop unwanted emails in Outlook and what to do when Outlook's junk email filter is not working

When You Stop Phishing Emails, Take Care of Your Physical Mailbox Too!

Reporting spam emails and learning how to unsubscribe from emails you don’t need are useful weapons in your arsenal, but phishing attempts don’t stop with electronic messages. Scammers are doing whatever they can to lay hands on your finances and your identity. Calls, texts, social media messages, and good old-fashioned letters are some of the methods they use to trick unsuspecting folk. DoNotPay can help you clean out your physical mailbox from those dubious envelopes and keep it spick and span.

You don’t have to do much. Get your smartphone camera ready and follow this simple procedure:

  1. Take photos of any mail you want to do away with
  2. Log into your DoNotPay account
  3. Find DoNotMail
  4. Upload the photos

With this tool, you will prevent more gullible members of your household from becoming scam victims, but you will also decrease the amount of junk mail that you don’t need, and that gets thrown out anyway. You’re protecting your finances and helping the environment at the same time!

Stopping Phishing Emails Is Just One of DoNotPay’s Super Powers!

Did you know that an app can be a great assistant for dealing with various legal and administrative problems? Yes, DoNotPay does exactly that. The world’s first AI Consumer Champion is not just an expert on how to stop receiving emails you don’t need or want—it can do so much more!

From helping you prevent harassment in the workplace to requesting refunds from Amazon or for plane tickets, DoNotPay offers simple and user-friendly solutions that will ensure you will never spend another unnecessary dollar again. Save yourself some time wasted on researching complicated policies and regulations, and let DoNotPay provide you with tools that will fix a bunch of issues in a blink of an eye.

Create your DoNotPay profile in a of your liking, and explore what our virtual legal team can help you with:

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