How to Identify Spam and Phishing Emails — And What to Do If You Receive One

Every single day, millions of phishing and spam emails land in the inboxes of businesses across Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and the wider UAE. Some are obvious — badly written, poorly formatted, and easy to spot. But in 2025, the most dangerous phishing emails look completely legitimate. They replicate the exact branding of banks, government entities, courier companies, and software providers. They use your name, your company name, and sometimes even the name of your actual manager or CEO. They are designed by criminals specifically to trick you into clicking, downloading, or handing over your credentials.

For businesses in the UAE, the stakes are high. A single employee clicking the wrong link can result in stolen Microsoft 365 credentials, a compromised bank account, a ransomware attack that locks every file in the company, or a Business Email Compromise (BEC) scam that results in fraudulent bank transfers running into hundreds of thousands of dirhams.

This article will teach you exactly how to identify suspicious emails, what to do when you receive one, how to report it correctly in Microsoft Outlook, and when to escalate to your IT support team.

What Is a Phishing Email?

Phishing is a type of cyberattack where a criminal sends you an email pretending to be someone or something you trust — your bank, Microsoft, the UAE Federal Tax Authority, Emirates NBD, Etisalat, DHL, your company's IT department, or even your own CEO — with the goal of tricking you into doing one of the following:

• Clicking a malicious link that takes you to a fake website designed to steal your username and password
• Downloading an attachment that installs malware or ransomware on your device
• Replying with sensitive information such as passwords, credit card numbers, or bank account details
• Approving a payment or bank transfer to an account controlled by the attacker

Spam, on the other hand, is unsolicited bulk email — advertising, scams, and junk — that clutters your inbox but is not always dangerous. The line between spam and phishing can be thin, and it is always better to treat any suspicious email with caution.

Warning Signs — How to Tell If an Email Is Suspicious

Even the most convincing phishing emails almost always have at least one giveaway if you know what to look for. Train yourself to check for these warning signs every time an email feels slightly off.

The Sender's Email Address Does Not Match the Organisation

This is the single most reliable indicator of a phishing email. Always check the actual email address — not just the display name. A phishing email might show the display name as "Microsoft Support" or "Emirates NBD" but the actual address will be something completely unrelated, such as microsoftsupport@gmail.com or nbd-alert@randomdomain.net.

To check the real sender address in Outlook, hover your mouse over the sender's name or tap on it on mobile to reveal the full email address behind it.

The Domain Is Slightly Wrong

Sophisticated phishers register domains that look almost identical to the real thing. Look carefully for subtle differences such as:

• micros0ft.com instead of microsoft.com (zero replacing the letter O)
• emiratesnbd-alert.com instead of emiratesnbd.com
• support-apple.com instead of apple.com
• ica-uae.net instead of ica.gov.ae

If the domain looks slightly unfamiliar or has extra words, hyphens, or numbers, treat it as suspicious immediately.

Urgent or Threatening Language

Phishing emails are designed to make you panic and act without thinking. Common urgency triggers include:

• "Your account will be suspended in 24 hours"
• "Immediate action required — your payment has failed"
• "Your Emirates ID has been flagged — verify now"
• "Final notice — your Microsoft 365 subscription has expired"
• "Your package could not be delivered — click here to reschedule"

Legitimate organisations — your bank, Microsoft, government entities — will never demand immediate action via email under threat of account suspension or legal consequences without prior formal communication.

You Are Asked to Click a Link or Download a File Unexpectedly

If you were not expecting an email with a link or attachment, be suspicious regardless of who it appears to be from. Before clicking any link, hover your mouse over it without clicking — the real destination URL will appear in the bottom left of your browser or email client. If that URL looks unfamiliar or does not match the organisation the email claims to be from, do not click it.

Never open an attachment you were not expecting — even if it appears to be a PDF, Word document, or Excel file. Malware is commonly hidden inside these file types.

Generic Greetings

Phishing emails are often sent in bulk and cannot personalise every message. Watch out for greetings like:

• "Dear Customer"
• "Dear User"
• "Dear Account Holder"
• "To Whom It May Concern"

Your actual bank, Microsoft, or any company you have a real account with will almost always address you by your name.

Poor Spelling, Grammar, or Awkward Phrasing

Many phishing emails originate from non-English speaking countries and contain grammatical errors, unusual sentence structures, or words that feel slightly off. This is not always the case with sophisticated attacks, but poor language is still a reliable warning sign.

The Email Asks for Passwords, OTPs, or Banking Details

No legitimate organisation will ever ask you to provide your password, one-time passcode (OTP), PIN, or full banking credentials via email. Ever. If an email asks for any of these, it is a scam without exception.

The Offer Seems Too Good to Be True

Emails promising prize winnings, unexpected refunds, lottery wins, or lucrative business opportunities you never applied for are almost always scams. If it sounds too good to be true, it is.

What to Do When You Receive a Suspicious Email

If you receive an email that triggers any of the warning signs above, follow these steps immediately:

Step 1 — Do Not Click, Reply, or Download Anything The moment you feel something is off, stop. Do not click any link, do not open any attachment, do not reply, and do not forward it to colleagues. Even clicking "unsubscribe" in a phishing email can confirm to the attacker that your email address is active.

Step 2 — Do Not Call Any Phone Number in the Email Phishing emails sometimes include fake customer service numbers. If you call them, you will be speaking directly to the attacker.

Step 3 — Verify Through Official Channels If the email claims to be from your bank, Microsoft, a courier, or a government entity, contact them directly using a phone number or website you find independently — not one provided in the suspicious email.

Step 4 — Report It as Junk or Phishing in Microsoft Outlook This is a critical step that most users skip. When you report a phishing email in Outlook, you are not just moving it out of your inbox — you are sending a signal to Microsoft's global security team that helps protect every Microsoft 365 user worldwide, including your colleagues.

How to Report a Phishing Email in Microsoft Outlook

Reporting phishing correctly in Outlook takes less than 10 seconds and makes a real difference to email security across the entire Microsoft ecosystem.

In Outlook on Desktop (Windows or Mac):

1. Select the suspicious email in your inbox — do not open it
2. Click the three dots (More Actions) or right-click the email
3. Select Report and then Report Phishing
4. Outlook will move the email to your Junk folder and send a report to Microsoft automatically

Alternatively, if you have the Microsoft Report Message add-in installed:

1. Open or select the suspicious email
2. Click Report Message in the Outlook toolbar at the top
3. Select Phishing from the dropdown
4. Confirm — Outlook handles the rest

In Outlook on Web (outlook.office.com):

1. Select the suspicious email
2. Click the three dots at the top right of the email
3. Select Report and then Report Phishing

If You Only Want to Move It to Junk Without Formally Reporting:

1. Right-click the email
2. Select Move to Junk

However, using Report Phishing rather than simply moving to junk is always the better option — it actively contributes to Microsoft's threat intelligence and helps protect other businesses receiving the same attack.

What Happens After You Report It?

When you report a phishing email through Outlook, Microsoft's security systems analyse it and use it to improve spam filtering and threat detection across all Microsoft 365 tenants globally. If enough users report the same sending domain or IP address, Microsoft will automatically block future emails from that source for all users — including yours.

Your IT administrator (or Al Aida IT, if we manage your Microsoft 365 environment) can also view reported phishing emails through the Microsoft 365 Defender portal and take additional action such as blocking the sender domain, running a message trace to see if others in your organisation received the same email, or scanning for any users who may have already clicked the link.

When Should You Escalate to Your IT Support Team?

Moving a suspicious email to junk and reporting it to Microsoft is the right first step. But there are situations where you must immediately contact your IT support team rather than handling it yourself.

Contact your IT team or Al Aida IT straight away if:

• You already clicked a link in a suspicious email — even if nothing obvious happened, your device may be compromised
• You already opened an attachment from a suspicious email
• You entered your username or password on a website you reached through a suspicious link
• You are receiving multiple similar phishing emails repeatedly — this may indicate that your email address or domain is being targeted in an organised campaign
• A colleague or manager's email account appears to be sending suspicious emails — this is a sign of a compromised account and requires immediate action
• You received an email requesting an urgent payment or bank transfer that appears to come from your CEO, MD, or finance manager — this is a Business Email Compromise (BEC) attempt, one of the most financially damaging attacks targeting UAE businesses
• Your email account is suddenly sending emails you did not write — your account may already be hacked
• Multiple people in your organisation received the same suspicious email — this is a coordinated attack that needs a coordinated response

In any of these situations, time matters. The faster your IT team is involved, the faster they can contain the damage, reset compromised credentials, block malicious domains across your entire organisation, and prevent the attack from spreading.

How Al Aida IT Protects Your Business from Email Threats

At Al Aida IT Technology LLC, email security is one of the most common reasons businesses across Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and the GCC reach out to us — both for immediate incident response and for ongoing protection under our IT AMC plans.

Our email security services include:

• Microsoft 365 Defender configuration — advanced anti-phishing, anti-malware, and safe links policies that block malicious emails before they reach your inbox
• Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) setup — so that even if an attacker steals a password, they cannot access the account
• Email domain authentication — SPF, DKIM, and DMARC configuration to prevent attackers from spoofing your company's email domain
• User awareness guidance — helping your team recognise and respond to phishing attempts correctly
• Incident response — immediate investigation and containment if a phishing attack has already succeeded
• Ongoing monitoring — through our managed IT AMC, we monitor your Microsoft 365 environment for unusual sign-in activity, suspicious email forwarding rules, and other indicators of compromise

Whether you are an existing Al Aida IT client or a business that has just experienced a phishing incident and needs urgent help, we are here.

Reach Out to Al Aida IT for Email Security Help

If you are unsure whether an email is genuine, if you have already clicked something suspicious, or if your business is receiving repeated phishing attempts that feel organised and targeted, do not wait and hope for the best. Phishing attacks escalate quickly and the cost of acting too late is always far higher than the cost of picking up the phone or sending an email now.

📧 Technical Support & Incident Response: helpdesk@aidait.com

📧 Email Security Solutions & AMC Quotations: sales@aidait.com

We serve businesses across Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, and the wider UAE and GCC. Our team responds within 1 business hour during UAE business hours.

Al Aida IT Technology LLC Opal Tower, Office 1403, Business Bay, Dubai, UAE helpdesk@aidait.com | sales@aidait.com