What is a fake-email scam, or phishing?
Photo: Avila Ops Tecnologia
Phishing is a message pretending to come from someone trustworthy, such as a bank, Brazil’s Receita Federal, Correios or your supplier, to make you click a link, enter a password or pay a boleto. The scammer does not break in; they convince you to open the door.
In small companies, the same mailbox receives invoices, supplier bills, banking access and domain passwords. A rushed person on a busy day clicks. The scam exploits haste rather than naivety.
How do you recognize fake emails?
Recurring signs include urgency, such as “your account will be blocked in 24 hours”; similar but incorrect senders, such as [email protected] instead of the real domain; and requests for passwords, verification codes or unexpected boletos.
A common example is a fake Correios “held parcel notice” requiring R$ 7 for release. The small amount is deliberate. The target is the card details you enter.
Another business scam impersonates Registro.br with domain-expiration notices and renewal links. Always renew through the Registro.br dashboard by typing its address, never through email links.
What should you do with suspicious emails?
Do not click. Type the bank or supplier website address yourself or call a saved number. Real pending issues will appear there.
Check the full sender rather than just the name. On phones, tap the name to see its address. For emailed boletos, verify the beneficiary in your banking app before paying. Near shopping dates such as Father’s Day, many campaign bills arrive and scams blend in.
If someone clicked and entered a password, change it immediately, enable two-step verification and notify the bank. Speed helps; embarrassment does not.
What to do now
Email on your company’s domain helps staff distinguish internal from external messages. An assessment reveals current exposure: reused passwords, domains without automatic renewal and active former-employee accounts. We review these with you at avilaops.com/contato or WhatsApp wa.me/5517997811471.
Frequently asked questions
How can I tell whether an email is phishing?
Look at the full sender address rather than name. Distrust urgency, password requests and links to “resolve an issue.” When uncertain, type the company’s website address yourself.
I clicked a fake-email link. What now?
If you only opened the page, close it. If you entered a password, change it everywhere reused. If you entered card details, ask the bank to block the card. File a police report if losses occurred.
Does antivirus solve phishing?
It helps little. The scam convinces you to hand information over rather than installing something. Build the habit of avoiding billing links and confirming through another channel.
Connections, made clear
Every message deserves context and continuity.
See a simple communication workflow using your business domain.
- MessageAn enquiry arrives at your business email.
- OrganisationIdentify the subject and responsible person.
- ReplyReply with the information needed to move forward.
- HistoryKeep the conversation for future reference.
- Next actionAgree on a follow-up or route the enquiry.
- Message. An enquiry arrives at your business email.
- Organisation. Identify the subject and responsible person.
- Reply. Reply with the information needed to move forward.
- History. Keep the conversation for future reference.
- Next action. Agree on a follow-up or route the enquiry.
Message
An enquiry arrives at your business email.
Turn what you learned into your next step.
Tell us about your company and what you want to improve. We can explore the right tools, integrations or custom project together.