Phishing Awareness
Attackers are going after real estate professionals directly, and many impersonate a team, brokerage, title company or familiar contact by name. Here's how to spot a suspicious message and what to do when one lands in your inbox.
Before You Click
| Red flag | What to look for |
|---|---|
| Check the real sender address | The display name can say anything, so look at the address behind it. A message that appears to come from your own team or a trusted partner may be sent from an unfamiliar domain. Example: yourteamname@goagle.com instead of your team's real domain. |
| Pressure to act now | Phrases like “urgent,” “expiring today” or “closing is at risk” are designed to rush you past the moment where you'd stop and think. |
| Unexpected links, files or e-sign requests | Be cautious with a shared document or signature request you weren't expecting, especially one that asks you to sign in. |
| Changed payment or wire details | Treat any request to update wiring instructions or send money as a red flag until you verify it by phone. |
What to Do
- Verify another way. Call the person at a number you already know. Never use a phone number or link that came in the email itself.
- Report it. In Gmail, open the message menu and choose Report phishing. Every report helps us (and Google) block the sender for everyone.
- Clicked something? Tell us fast. Contact Side Support right away at help@side.com. Speed matters most, and there's no blame or shame — we've all clicked something we shouldn't have.
When in doubt, don't click
Forward the message to help@side.com and Side Support will take a look.
Security Guide to Phishing Awareness
The one-page guide with this checklist, ready to share with your team.
How can I verify Side wire instruction information?
How to confirm Side's wire details by phone before you send funds.