What Is a Social Engineering Attack?
Social engineering is the practice of manipulating, influencing, or deceiving individuals in order to gain unauthorised access to systems, data, or physical locations.
Attackers may use phone calls, emails, postal mail, direct contact, or a combination of methods to trick victims into revealing sensitive information.
Even with strong technical protections in place, no organisation is fully immune to human error.
Training employees to recognise suspicious messages is one of the most effective defences against social engineering threats.
Let’s look at some of the most common red flags of a social engineering email attack.
Warning Signs in the Email Sender Field – Social Engineering
If you do not recognise the sender’s email address but the message implies familiarity, treat it as suspicious.
Be cautious of emails from individuals outside your organisation, especially if they’re unrelated to your role or responsibilities.
If an email appears to come from someone within your organisation or from a known customer, supplier, or partner but the message is unusual or out of character, it may be an impersonation attempt.
Attackers often mimic legitimate addresses. For example, ‘HarryJones@Speedster-lt.com’ may look similar to ‘HarryJones@Speedster-it.com’, but the ‘i’ is actually an ‘L’.
Social Engineering Warning Signs in the Subject Line
Does the subject line seem irrelevant, misleading, or inconsistent with the email content?
Is the message a reply to something you never sent?
This is common in support-related scams used to impersonate services like Netflix or Apple, urging users to update payment details.
Social Engineering Warning Signs in the Email Content
Poor spelling, awkward phrasing, or incorrect grammar may indicate the email was machine‑translated or written by a scammer.
Be cautious if you are asked to click a link or open an unexpected attachment.
Verify that the attachment has the correct file type. If you expect a PDF but receive an .exe or .zip, this is a major red flag.
Common legitimate file extensions include:
- DOC / DOCX
- HTML / HTM
- ODT
- XLS / XLSX
- ODS
- PPT / PPTX
- TXT
Think….. does the link or request make sense?
Attackers often create urgency such as “act immediately” or “account suspended” to pressure victims. If a link leads to a login page, always double‑check the URL carefully.
Cybercriminals also use characters that look similar to deceive users. For example, “rn” can look like “m”, and “vv” can look like “w”. When in doubt, navigate to the website manually instead of clicking a link.
If a hyperlink is disguised as “click here” or “login page”, it may direct you to a fraudulent website. Hover your mouse over the link to preview the actual URL in your browser before clicking.
Social Engineering What To Do If You Get Scammed
If you entered your password into a suspicious website, change it immediately.
Avoid reusing passwords across multiple accounts. If one password is compromised, it can expose all your other services. Enabling two‑factor authentication (2FA) significantly increases your security by adding an extra layer of verification.
If you entered bank or card details into a fraudulent site, contact your bank or card provider right away. Many people feel embarrassed after falling for a scam, but cybercrime is extremely common and should always be reported.
Action Fraud—the UK’s national fraud reporting centre—recommends reporting all cases of online fraud and cybercrime. Reporting ensures the correct procedures are followed and helps prevent others from becoming victims.
Remember: Always think before you click.
With over 15 years at Speedster IT, I’ve built a career around helping businesses navigate the evolving world of technology. I publish all the content for the IT Support London Blog and Cyber Security Blog, where I share practical insights on infrastructure upgrades, cybersecurity trends, and smart IT strategies for growing companies.
