Report a Suspicious Email with PhishAlarm

This article covers how faculty, staff, and students can report a suspicious email using PhishAlarm in Outlook.

PhishAlarm is a tool that allows you to report a suspicious email with the click of a button in Outlook. The CSUF Security team will then be able to review the email to verify if it is a phishing email.

For more about how to spot a phishing email, view What is Spear Phishing and How do I Spot a Phishing Attack?

How do I report a suspicious email?

I am using the Outlook desktop app

1. Click on the Report As Suspicious button in the Message toolbar.

You can also right-click on an email in your message list to report as suspicious without opening the email.

report as suspicous button

2. Click Report As Suspicious to report the email. Or click Cancel to cancel the request.

Remember to use this feature for suspicious emails, not regular spam messages.

report as suspicous popup

3. Click Close and then close the email you reported (if open).

request submitted
I am using Outlook on the web

1. In the email, click on the three dots next to the message options.

outlook on web email

2. Click on Report As Suspicious in the list of message options.

message options list

3. Click Report As Suspicious to report the email. Or click Cancel to cancel the request.

Remember to use this feature for suspicious emails, not regular spam messages.

report as suspicious screen

4. Click Close and then close the email you reported.

request submitted
I am using Outlook mobile on Apple iOS/iPad OS

1. In the email, tap on the three dots at the top right of the message.

email message

2. Tap Report As Suspicious in the message options icons.

message actions

3. Tap Report As Suspicious to report the email. Or tap Cancel to cancel the request.

Remember to use this feature for suspicious emails, not regular spam messages.

report as suspicious screen

4. Tap Close and then close the email you reported.

successful submission
I am using Outlook mobile on Android

1. In the email, tap on the three dots at the top right of the message.

message screen

2. Tap Report Phish in the message options icons.

message actions

3. Tap Report As Suspicious to report the email. Or tap Cancel to cancel the request.

Remember to use this feature for suspicious emails, not regular spam messages.

report as suspicious screen

4. Tap Close and then close the email you reported.

successful submission

What happens after I report an email?

The CSUF Security team will review the email. Once the review is complete, you will receive an email indicating the outcome (e.g., the message was a phishing email, the email was valid, etc.).

Need More Help?

To learn more about phishing, view the chapter on Spear Phishing.

For more resources, view the Spear Phishing Help & Resources article.

 

Faculty/staff can contact the IT Help Desk at [email protected] or 657-278-7777 for additional assistance.

Students can contact the Student IT Help Desk at [email protected] or 657-278-8888 for additional assistance.