How to Report Spam/Phishing Emails

Owned by Karna Johnson
Last updated: Feb 22, 2023
2 min read

We get a lot of spam at ACC. Your email address is a tempting target. 

We get hundreds of these a week, so be smart about evaluating the authenticity of messages you receive.

Think before you click on reply or an attachment!

If a message looks phishy, it probably is. Some key indicators that a message might be spam:

  • The Sent from name does not match the sent from email address

  • The email address domain (like @arapahoe.edu) does not match the message, or seem legitimate

  • Grammar may be sketchy

  • Requests are unusual (asking for personal or work information, or purchases requested by someone unknown)

  • There are more tell-tale signs, but trust your instincts. If something seems off about a message, it’s probably spam.

Below are the differences between Spam and Phishing:

If the email is resembling Spam, you can block the sender by:

1. Right-click the email.

2. Hover over Junk.

3. Click Block Sender.

4. Click OK on the next box.

If the email is resembling phishing, here is how to report it:

Note: The phishing icon may look different on your screen than what is shown below. Each of these options will do the same thing. Here are some examples of what it may look like. If your screen has one of these, skip to step 3.

Outlook.com:

1. Go to the top right of the email and click the 3 dots that are horizontal.

2. Go to Phish Alert -> Click on Phish Alert Report.

3. Click Phish Alert to send the phishing email to CCCS IT.

4. Now, you can delete the email.