How to recognise a genuine IONOS email
Here’s how you can easily spot fake emails (phishing emails)
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This article walks you through a few ways to verify the authenticity of an email sent by IONOS, to avoid phishing scams.
General distinguishing features
Please look out for the following characteristics in all emails from IONOS:
The emails are always sent from sender addresses that contain the domain name ionos.co.uk in the email address. View the extended header to check the sender’s address and compare it with previous messages. You can find further information on this in the following article: What is an email header and how can I view it?
Most of our emails (particularly those relating to contracts and invoices) contain your personal customer number. Please check that this matches your personal customer ID number. You can find your customer number in the email order and contract confirmation, which you received following your order. If you are already logged in, you can also find your customer in your IONOS account. To do this, click on the My Account menu item at the top-right of the title bar. You will find your customer number next to Account number:.
We usually address you by your first name and surname. Short, automated system notifications sometimes do not include a personalised salutation. These include, for example, notifications about logging in from a new device. If your full name is missing or you are addressed in an impersonal manner, this is a clear warning sign of a phishing email.
The emails are grammatically correct and contain no spelling mistakes.
If you are asked in an email to check or confirm your IONOS account details, pay close attention to the link provided. The correct URL (domain) for IONOS is ionos.co.uk. If the link does not use the correct URL for IONOS, it is a fake designed to steal your personal details. In that case, delete the email and under no circumstances enter any details.
In the following example, at first glance it appears to be the genuine URL for IONOS:
ionoss.co.uk/login
However, on closer inspection, you can see that there is an extra ‘s’ after the first ‘s’. This is not an email from IONOS.
Special considerations regarding emails relating to invoices
The invoice number is shown in the subject line. How it appears depends on the email program you are using.
We display your IONOS customer number.
The invoice date is always listed in the subject line. If in doubt, you can quickly and easily check the invoice date in your IONOS account on the Invoices & payment details page.
We address you by your first name and surname on the invoice.
Special considerations regarding emails confirming orders or contracts
We will display your IONOS customer number.
In the order confirmation, we address you by your first name and surname.
Use the IONOS Validation Service
Are you unsure whether an email really came from us? Use our free Validation Service to check the authenticity of IONOS emails quickly and easily. With this validation service, you can check any message in just a few clicks.