• Fraudulent e-mail often presents end users with scenarios of negative consequences if they do not act immediately.  No reputable business is going to take adverse action against your account with only an e-mail notification.
• The format of the e-mail typically includes stolen logos and branding, a "From" line disguised to appear as if the message came from a legitimate sender and a link to a website or e-mail address.
• All of these features are designed to assure the recipient that the e-mail is from a legitimate business source, when in fact, the information submitted will be sent to the perpetrator.
• Misspelled URLs or the use of subdomains are common tricks used by phishers (http://www.anytownbank.com.example.com).  While many phishing e-mail scams often have misspellings and poor grammar, many of the criminals are getting smarter with the grammar.   This used to be an easy way to detect a scam but it is becoming less reliable. 
• Many times, the fraudulent e-mails include text such as “verify your account” or “confirm billing information”.   Some include an offer of a reward for completing a survey.
• Another common trick is to make the text for a link appear to be a valid URL when the link actually goes to a fraudulent website.  Or the URL would contain an @ symbol following the correct URL  (http://www.anytownbank.com@phishing.com).
• Some e-mails contain phone numbers with incorrect area codes.  Call the number listed on your statement or the back of your credit card.