Over 3.4 billion scam emails are sent out worldwide every day and 1 in 3 people are likely to click the links in a scam email.
Scam emails are a serious concern around the world as they are designed to steal your data or money. Scam emails often impersonate trusted businesses or government organisations to trick you into handing over your personal details and money.
In this guide I’ll teach you 7 red flags of a scam email so you can protect yourself and keep your personal information safe.
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What Is A Scam Email?
A scam email is a fraudulent message designed to trick the reader into handing over personal details, money or access to accounts.
Scam emails aim to steal login details, get personal information, trick you into handing over money, impersonate trusted businesses or a combination of these.
Scam emails also often aim to install viruses and malware on your computer. Common email scams include fake antivirus expiration notices, fake cloud storage payment emails and fake emails saying your device is infected with a virus or malware.
Scammers exploits emotions like fear and urgency, impersonate trusted businesses to try to build trust and many people don’t know how to spot a scam email.
For these reasons many scam emails succeed which results in serious issues like identity theft, major financial loses and damage to trusted individuals and businesses.
How Do Scam Emails Reach You?
Scammers get email addresses in a multitude of ways and most often from hacked websites, leaked databases and data breaches.
If you are a customer of a company that’s been the victim of a data breach chances are scammers have your email address. Scammers also buy and sell email addresses in bulk on the dark web especially after major hacks and data breaches.
Scammers also use bots to get email addresses from blogs, forums and social media. Sometimes they guess common formats or a scam email can be forwarded to you by someone else that didn’t know it was fake.
Another common way scammers get your email address is when you enter it on a suspicious website or if you have engaged with scam emails before it makes you a future target as well.
This is more common than you realize and anyone can be target so it’s not your fault if you receive a scam email.
7 Red Flags Of A Scam Email
Scam emails can be convincing and are designed to trick you but if you know what to look for they’re much easier to spot.
You don’t need to be tech savvy or a cybersecurity expert to identify a scam email. The red flags below are simple and easy to remember.
If you notice even one of them it’s always worth stopping for a closer look before engaging with it in any way.
Here are 7 red flags of a scam email
#1 Suspicious Sender Address
Scam emails often come from a suspicious sender address so whenever you open an email always check the sender address no matter who it’s supposedly from.
If you don’t see the sender address right away click on the sender’s name and this should reveal their email address.
Does it match up with the sender’s name and business?
If not it’s likely fake because scam emails often come from weird email addresses that make no sense or are sent from a different email address than the company it’s supposedly from.
#2 Suspicious Links & Attachments
Scammers often include shady links and attachments in their emails so always pay attention to them.
Before clicking any links hover over them with your cursor. If the link looks strange, doesn’t make sense or doesn’t match with where it’s meant to lead to don’t click it because it will lead to a fake website.
If you were not expecting any emails with attachments this is already suspicious and if the attachment has a strange name it’s likely shady.
Scammers use common file types like doc, pdf and jpeg to spread viruses and malware so if you get any unexpected or strange attachments don’t open them.
Because they will infect your computer with viruses or malware when you open or download them.
That’s why it’s important to be wary of any attachments you receive so you don’t accidently infect your computer with something sinister.
#3 Generic Greetings
Emails that come from scammers usually start with a generic greeting whereas legitimate emails will always address you by name.
If you receive an email that starts with a generic greeting such as hello, hey friend or hi there don’t disregard it.
This is an indication of a scam email so be extra careful with any emails that start with anything generic or unusual.
#4 Grammar & Spelling Mistakes
Grammar and spelling are a major indicator in determining if an email is fake or legitimate.
Scam emails are often full of grammar and spelling mistakes with missing words and incomplete sentences.
But genuine businesses will never do that and will always ensure their emails are easy to read and free of errors.
So if you get an email with a lot of grammar and spelling mistakes it is most likely from a scammer.
#5 Urgency & Threats
Urgency and threats are another common tactic with scammers because it causes panic and fear in people.
They often say things like your account has been suspended, your payment has failed or pay within 24 hours or your account will be cancelled.
This is a red flag and sometimes scammers will even threaten you to get their way.
You might be told you will be fined, arrested or exposed to thousands of people if you don’t comply.
But rest assured those claims are not true and are only scare tactics to try to trick you into doing what the scammer wants.
Any urgency or threats in an email should not be taken lightly as they are major red flags you need to be aware of.
#6 Requests For Personal Information
Any email that asks you for personal information should immediately be treated as very suspicious.
Scammers often ask for personal information like usernames, passwords, credit card details and banking information.
Legitimate businesses will never ask you for personal information in an email or over the phone.
Do not give out your personal information through email and do not respond to any email that asks you for personal information as it’s likely a scam.
#7 Too Good To Be True Offers
Scammers will often make up false but exciting claims to get your attention and information.
You might see things like you have won a prize, you have been selected for a new phone or millions of dollars has been left to you.
But these are just false claims to trick you and get your information and money.
Never respond to or engage with these types of emails and stay away from anything that seems too good to be true.
Spotting Red Flags Is The First Step
Scam emails are designed to trick you but being able to spot even one of these red flags will help protect you.
Always stop and double check before you click, reply or download anything.
Staying alert and knowing what to look for is the best way to protect yourself and your information.
If something doesn’t feel right you should trust your instincts because it’s always better to be safe than sorry.
Are you dealing with spam calls and texts too? If so check out my guide on how to block spam calls and texts for everything you need to secure your phone.
How To Stay Safe From Scam Emails
If you have received a strange or suspicious email in your inbox the first thing to do is to take a deep breath and don’t panic.
First check the sender address to see if it looks suspicious or if it makes sense or not which could confirm the email is a scam straight away.
Then hover over any links before clicking to see if the URL is strange in any way and don’t open any attachments.
Keep your devices and software up to date, use your antivirus software and report any spams or scams using the built in spam features in your inbox.
Taking Further Action
If you are still unsure at this point trust your instincts and don’t click or engage with the email.
Have a look at the top of the email and see if the spam filter has detected anything.
Did it appear in your junk or spam folder? Is there an alert saying the email may not be from the sender it says it’s from?
If so be extra careful and take the time to thoroughly check through the email for any red flags.
It’s a good idea to contact the individual or business the email is supposedly from through their offiical website to ask them if they really sent you an email.
If you have identified the email is a scam report it using the report spam button in your email application and consider reporting the scam to a trusted source like the police or scamwatch if it is something serious.
Once you have done that you can safely ignore and delete the email. While you’re at it you should spread the word to family, friends and anyone else you know to make sure they are aware of the scam as well.
Email Safety Tips
Let’s recap by going over some important email safety tips you have learned so far
- Verify the sender
- Don’t click suspicious links or attachments
- Beware of generic greetings
- Check for grammar and spelling mistakes
- Use your spam filters
- Keep your devices and software updated
- Don’t share personal information over email
- Remember to report scam emails
By following these tips you can protect yourself and keep yourself safe from scam emails.
Remember always trust your instincts and if something seems too good to be true it probably is.
Best Ways To Protect Yourself From Scam Emails
If you would like other ways to protect yourself from scammers and their scam emails the good news is there many options available.
They are cheap, affordable and worth the extra investment to keep yourself safe.
Here are some good options
- Norton 360 Deluxe protects you from viruses and also scans all incoming emails for phishing links, infected attachments and suspicious senders.
- McAfee Total Protection gives you complete virus and malware protection as well as full email scanning that will detect anything suspicious and other features like a VPN and a password manager.
- Bitdefender Total Security is a top rated cybersecurity suite that includes protection against scam emails, phishing attacks, web attacks, viruses, malware and ransomware
- Kaspersky Password Manager offers a strong encrypted vault with 2FA that only you can access and store your passwords and important documents.
- Atlancube Offline Password Keeper is a small device that connects to your computer using Bluetooth and has military grade encryption that can store up to 1000 credentials safely offline.
My top pick for email protection would be Norton 360 Deluxe but if you want more than virus and email protection any of the other options above would be stellar options.
You can never be too careful or too safe online so always be sure to take as many safety measures as you feel necessary to keep your self safe from scammers.
Conclusion
In conclusion Over 3.4 billion scam emails are sent out worldwide every day and 1 in 3 people are likely to click the links in a scam email.
But with the correct knowledge and the right tools you can easily keep yourself ahead of scammers.
With a few simple strategies like checking sender details, avoiding suspicious links and using trusted resources you can keep yourself safe. Trust your instincts, stay alert and never be afraid to take action when something doesn’t feel right.
Most importantly remember if something seems too good to be true it probably is.
Thank you for reading. I hope that you enjoyed this article about how to spot a scam email. If you have any questions or if you need any help let me know in the comments.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you are dealing with spam calls and texts check out my guide How to block spam calls and texts and you can get your own cybersecurity tools by clicking here