I bet you think you're a pro? Well at least I think I am, however, every now and then there's an email that takes more than a split second to identify as spam.

Here's a quick test for you, take a look over the following email and spot as many tell tale signs as you can. In order to not waste to much time on spam emails you have five seconds:

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So how did you go? Did you spot that it was spam straight away? Or did it take you a second or two?

Here's a quick run down of what you could have spotted:

1. The email is sent from a gmail.com address, if the business was legitimate it would be from @kiwitech.co.nz or a similar domain.
   Spammers use @gmail.com as Google can't automatically block all emails from that domain name because of spam. These accounts are identified and shut down pretty quickly by Google for suspicious behavior.
2. Poorly structured sentences and grammar
   It's easy to miss when reading over emails quickly
3. The logo gives the email a sense of authenticity
   The company name is only mentioned here. If you're cold calling a potential customer surely you would put in a little bit of information about your company and why it's awesome.
4. Sixteen other offices! Wow this company is legit
   Surely a business this size would at least include a domain name for you to find out more about them?

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Even if you only spotted one you should listen to that little voice inside your head and either mark the email as spam, or Google the company name to find out more about them.

You will quickly find in this case KiwiTech is a New Zealand company that provides "Business Solutions for Sustainable Grass Farming". Spammers are getting better at making their emails look legitimate and therefore getting past email spam filters. It's important to never engage with an email like this.

If the email is related to your website and you have any questions or doubts about an its authenticity get in touch with your IT department or website hosts for advice.

If you're interested in the services allegedly provided by one of these spammers, do some research, ask other members in your business community for a provider they trust and can recommend.

Good luck out there, stay frosty!