A phishing email is a fraudulent message sent by cybercriminals pretending to be from a legitimate or trusted source, such as a bank, company, or acquaintance, with the intent to deceive recipients into revealing sensitive personal information like passwords, credit card numbers, or bank details
. These emails often create a false sense of urgency, urging immediate action to claim rewards or avoid penalties, to prevent recipients from thinking critically or seeking advice
. Phishing emails typically contain fake links or attachments that lead to counterfeit websites designed to steal login credentials or install malware on the victim's device
. Common signs of phishing emails include suspicious sender addresses, incorrect branding, generic greetings, spelling errors, urgent calls to action, and links that do not match the supposed sender's domain
. Phishing is a form of social engineering aimed at manipulating users into compromising their security, and email phishing is one of the most prevalent methods used by attackers to gain unauthorized access to sensitive data or systems
