- A
Reply to the email asking for verification.
Why wrong: Replying could confirm to the attacker that the email address is active, and they may send a convincing response.
- B
Click the link to see if it looks legitimate.
Why wrong: Clicking the link could lead to malware infection or credential harvesting, even if you don't enter data.
- C
Forward the email to the company's security team for analysis.
Forwarding to the security team allows experts to analyze headers, links, and other indicators to confirm phishing.
- D
Call the phone number listed in the email signature.
Why wrong: The phone number could be fake or belong to the attacker; using official directory numbers is safer, but forwarding is more direct for analysis.
Question 75 of 750
Confirming a Phishing Email: Key Steps
This 220-1202 practice question tests your understanding of social engineering attacks. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
A technician receives an email that appears to be from the company's HR department asking them to click a link to update their direct deposit information. The email contains several grammatical errors and the sender's domain is 'company-hr.com' instead of the official 'company.com'. What is the most effective way to confirm this is a phishing attempt?
Quick Answer
The answer is to forward the email to the company’s security team for analysis. This is the most effective way to confirm a phishing email because security teams have tools to examine the full email header, trace the sender’s true origin, and cross-reference the domain against known threats. While hovering over the link to check the actual URL is a useful secondary step, it only reveals the destination, not the email’s routing path or spoofing attempts. On the CompTIA A+ Core 2 220-1202 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of social engineering identification and incident response procedures—a common trap is choosing to click the link to “verify” the site, which would compromise the system. Remember the memory tip: “Forward, don’t click—let the security team do the trick.”
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Forward the email to the company's security team for analysis.
Option C is correct because forwarding the suspicious email to the company's security team allows trained analysts to inspect headers, attachments, and URLs in a sandboxed environment without exposing the technician to risk. This aligns with organizational incident response procedures for phishing, as the security team can verify the sender domain (e.g., SPF/DKIM/DMARC failures) and determine if the email is malicious.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Reply to the email asking for verification.
Why it's wrong here
Replying could confirm to the attacker that the email address is active, and they may send a convincing response.
- ✗
Click the link to see if it looks legitimate.
Why it's wrong here
Clicking the link could lead to malware infection or credential harvesting, even if you don't enter data.
- ✓
Forward the email to the company's security team for analysis.
Why this is correct
Forwarding to the security team allows experts to analyze headers, links, and other indicators to confirm phishing.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Call the phone number listed in the email signature.
Why it's wrong here
The phone number could be fake or belong to the attacker; using official directory numbers is safer, but forwarding is more direct for analysis.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
CompTIA A+ exams often test the principle that verifying suspicious emails through official channels (e.g., security team) is safer than any direct interaction with the email's contents or contacts, and the trap here is that candidates may think calling a listed number is safe, but attackers can spoof phone numbers or use VoIP to appear legitimate.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Phishing emails often exploit urgency and authority (e.g., 'update direct deposit') to bypass user skepticism. Under the hood, email authentication protocols like SPF (RFC 7208) and DKIM (RFC 6376) can detect domain spoofing; the domain 'company-hr.com' would likely fail SPF alignment if the official domain is 'company.com'. In a real-world scenario, the security team would analyze the email's MIME headers, check for malicious payloads in attachments, and query threat intelligence feeds for the URL's reputation.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
- Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
- Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
- Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A practitioner preparing for the 220-1202 exam encounters this exact type of scenario on the job. The correct answer here is not the most general option — it is the best answer for the specific constraint described. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Real exam questions reward reading the full scenario before eliminating options, because the constraint defines which answer fits.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this 220-1202 question test?
Social Engineering Attacks — This question tests Social Engineering Attacks — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Forward the email to the company's security team for analysis. — Option C is correct because forwarding the suspicious email to the company's security team allows trained analysts to inspect headers, attachments, and URLs in a sandboxed environment without exposing the technician to risk. This aligns with organizational incident response procedures for phishing, as the security team can verify the sender domain (e.g., SPF/DKIM/DMARC failures) and determine if the email is malicious.
What should I do if I get this 220-1202 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 2026
This 220-1202 practice question is part of Courseiva's free CompTIA certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the 220-1202 exam.
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