Paul Holmes -
University
English Professor

Free Materials For ESL Teachers and Learners

“Email Phishing” ESL Discussion Questions

I. Understanding Email Phishing
1. What is email phishing?
2. How can you recognize a phishing email?
3. Why do people create phishing emails?
4. What should you do if you receive a phishing email?
5. Can phishing emails harm your computer?

II. Common Features of Phishing Emails
6. What kind of information do phishing emails usually ask for?
7. Why do phishing emails often have spelling mistakes?
8. How do phishing emails try to make you act quickly?
9. Are phishing emails always easy to spot? Why or why not?
10. Can phishing emails look like they come from people you know?

III. The Risks of Phishing
11. What can happen if you respond to a phishing email?
12. How can phishing affect your personal information?
13. Can phishing emails lead to identity theft?
14. Why is it dangerous to click on links in phishing emails?
15. How can phishing emails compromise your online security?

IV. Protecting Yourself from Phishing
16. How can you protect your email from phishing attempts?
17. Why is it important to use different passwords for your accounts?
18. What is two-factor authentication, and how does it help?
19. Should you install antivirus software to protect against phishing?
20. Why is it important to keep your software up to date?

V. Reporting Phishing Attempts
21. Who should you report phishing emails to?
22. How can reporting phishing emails help others?
23. Is it useful to mark phishing emails as spam?
24. What details should you include when reporting a phishing attempt?
25. Can you report phishing attempts on social media too?

VI. The Psychology Behind Phishing
26. Why do phishing emails create a sense of urgency?
27. How do scammers use fear to trick you in phishing emails?
28. Why might someone fall for a phishing scam?
29. How do scammers personalize phishing emails?
30. What emotions do phishing emails try to exploit?

VII. Phishing Variants
31. What is spear phishing?
32. How is whaling different from regular phishing?
33. What is a clone phishing attack?
34. Have you heard of vishing, and what is it?
35. What is smishing?

VIII. Real-Life Consequences of Phishing
36. Can you give an example of a famous phishing attack?
37. How do phishing scams impact businesses?
38. What are the financial consequences of falling for phishing?
39. How can phishing affect a company’s reputation?
40. Can phishing lead to legal consequences?

IX. Email Security Best Practices
41. Why is it important not to share personal information over email?
42. How can you create a strong password?
43. What is the role of email encryption in preventing phishing?
44. Why should you be cautious with email attachments?
45. How often should you change your passwords?

X. Education and Awareness
46. How can education help prevent phishing attacks?
47. Should companies train their employees about phishing? Why?
48. What are some common signs of phishing that everyone should know?
49. How can you teach older generations about email phishing?
50. Why is it important to stay informed about new phishing techniques?

XI. The Role of Technology in Combating Phishing
51. How do email filters help prevent phishing?
52. Can machine learning be used to detect phishing attempts?
53. What is a secure email gateway?
54. How do browsers help in detecting phishing sites?
55. What are security tokens, and how do they work?

XII. The Future of Phishing
56. Do you think phishing will become more common in the future?
57. How might phishing techniques evolve?
58. Can legislation help in the fight against phishing?
59. What role do you think artificial intelligence will play in phishing defense?
60. How can individuals stay ahead of new phishing tactics?