While email security measures get more and more advanced every year, so do email scam techniques. In the period from 2019 until 2022, the number of email phishing attacks alone grew six times.
In 2024, it is estimated that every day, cybercriminals send around 3.4 billion emails to individuals and companies. These substantial numbers prove that email scams are a serious threat for corporate and personal security and that it should not be taken lightly.
As cybercriminals continually refine their tactics, the only way to decrease the threats posed by scam emails is to always stay one step ahead of them. How? By educating ourselves about the latest threats and learning the signs of fraudulent emails, such as poor grammar, unreliable links, inaccurate domain names, and others. Like this, you can develop a keen eye for identifying suspicious emails and adopting best practices for email security.
In this article, we share some of the common types of email scams and ways to identify them and analyze why people keep on falling into those cybertraps.
What Are Email Scams?
Any type of activity that aims to obtain personal information from users through deceptive emails is considered email scams.
To obtain sensitive data that people would not disclose otherwise, scammers employ various social engineering techniques to manipulate recipients into taking specific actions. These actions can be clicking on malicious links, downloading infected attachments, or providing confidential information. While the main goal of most scammers is to trick users into disclosing their financial data, they also aim for other malicious activities, such as identity theft or unauthorized access to systems.
Common Types of Email Scams
Phishing is the most common email scam when multiple users get emails that appear to be from reputable companies, such as banks or online retailers. In these emails, scammers try to push users towards taking some urgent actions, like clicking on a link or downloading an attachment. After doing so, a user is then being led to fake websites where his or her personal information can be stolen.
Spear-phishing is another type of phishing that aims at specific individuals or organizations. This type of scam goes one step further in comparison to regular phishing, as these emails need to be personalized to look trustworthy. While being more selective and requiring more effort to create, these emails also have a higher potential for success.
Business email compromise (BEC). In a BEC attack, scammers usually impersonate high-level executives within a company. They send emails that seemingly come from a trusted partner, instructing employees to transfer funds or share confidential information, often with a sense of urgency. These scams exploit the trust and authority associated with the impersonated figures.
A man-in-the-middle (MitM). This is a type of cyberattack where a scammer secretly intercepts and sends messages between two parties who believe they are directly communicating with each other. Like this, the attacker can spy on the communication, adjust it, and even inject malicious content without two parties knowing about it. This type of attack is also one of the popular email scams and is particularly dangerous because it can compromise the confidentiality, integrity, and authenticity of the communication.
Malware. A malware email attack is a type of cyberattack in which malicious software is delivered to the victim’s computer through email. These attacks typically involve sending emails with attachments or links that, when opened or clicked, install malware on the recipient’s device. The malware can perform a variety of harmful actions, such as stealing sensitive information, encrypting files for ransom (ransomware), or providing unauthorized access to the attacker.
Psychological Triggers: Why People Fall for Email Scams
While email scams have been around for decades and we all seem to know their warning signs, people still fall for them. The reason is the constant evolvement of scamming techniques and the ability of scammers to skillfully exploit various psychological triggers.
Exploitation of emotions
One major trigger is emotional: feelings of fear, urgency, and greed are strong emotions that often supersede logic, making individuals more susceptible to common email scams. Scammers know that and use it for their advantage. For example, an email warning of a security breach that needs immediate action or a limited-time financial offer that seems too good to pass up can cause recipients to act impulsively without verifying the authenticity of the message.
Trust in familiar brands or individuals
Another reason for falling for popular email scams is people’s trust in familiar brands or individuals. Scammers often impersonate well-known companies or people that the recipient knows and trusts. When we see a familiar name, our alertness naturally decreases and we are less likely to question the legitimacy of the source. As an outcome, we provide personal information or click on malicious links.
Lack of awareness or knowledge about email scams
Unfortunately, still not all of us are advanced enough to recognize fraudulent email activities. Many are simply uninformed about the sophisticated techniques scammers use or the common signs of phishing emails. As we may not recognize the subtle cues that indicate an email is fraudulent, scammers keep on using it for their advantage. The solution here is self-education about techniques that scammers use, as well as technological advancements that allow new types of scams to evolve.
Overconfidence in personal security measures
While some of us are simply unaware of scamming techniques, others are, on the contrary, too confident in their security software or personal vigilance, thinking it is enough to protect them. These individuals find themselves on the other side of the spectrum, when overreliance on their security measures can result in less scrutiny of emails and a greater likelihood of falling victim to email scams. The sad truth here is that even the most secure systems cannot always prevent human errors, and scammers often rely on this to bypass technical defenses. So, regardless of your trust in the power of technology, asking yourself, “Is this email a scam?” is never a mistake.
Common Red Flags in Email Scams
Suspicious sender addresses
Scammers often use email addresses that mimic legitimate ones. The key here is detecting slight variations or misspellings. For example, an email may appear to come from a well-known company but will have a domain that doesn’t quite match the official one. Another sign to look for is that emails from reputable organizations usually come from their official domain. So, if you receive an email from a free email service like Gmail or Yahoo claiming to be from a company, there’s almost a 100% guarantee that it is a scam.
Poor grammar and spelling mistakes
When it comes to official communication from reputable companies, they usually have professional communication standards. While a typo can once in a while occur even in the most reputable emails, messages filled with spelling errors or awkward phrasing are a common red flag. Beside some obvious grammar mistakes, the overall tone of an email matters as well. Emails that sound too informal or unnaturally friendly for a business context are another clue that they might be scams.
Unusual urgency or threats
A sense of urgency, like strong emotions, makes people panic and lose their ability for rational thinking. A trick that scammers use for their advantage! Here are some of the common sentences: “Immediate action required” or “Your account might be closed, unless…” Emails that include threats of legal action, loss of access, or other dire consequences if you don’t respond right away fall into the same category.
Unexpected attachments or links
Unexpected attachments or links should be treated with particular caution, as once clicked, they might expose you to malicious websites. These links often look legitimate at first glance, so it might be hard to detect them, especially if there are no other warning signs in an email. Unless you are absolutely sure of the sender’s legitimacy, hovering over links to see their true destination is always a good idea. The same goes for unsolicited attachments from unknown senders, as these can contain malware or viruses designed to compromise your computer.
Requests for personal information or money
We all know about the Nigerian Prince scam (with some of them being truly creative): a promise of a large sum of money in return for a small investment or personal information. Here, the best thing to do is to remind yourself that legitimate companies never ask for sensitive information like passwords, Social Security numbers, or bank account details via email. So, emails requesting money transfers, payments, or donations, especially from unknown sources, shall always be considered red flags and treated as such.
Do you want to learn the stories of the greatest email scams in history? Check out this article: Epic Email Scam Examples Throughout History
How to Avoid Falling into the Trap of Email Scams
Education and awareness
Education and awareness are fundamental elements in your defense against scammers. Read about typical email scams, their signs, and how technology advances them. If you feel motivated, you can even attend some training sessions on new scams, which can advance your knowledge even further. Look for awareness campaigns from companies that can teach you to recognize common signs of email scams. This awareness tactic is the most powerful tool against scammers and prevention from falling victim to fraudulent activities. And this is a proven fact: 84% of American companies reported a decreased impact of phishing attacks after conducting regular security awareness trainings.
Verification of email authenticity
Verification of email authenticity is another useful practice against scammers. Here, your attention and knowing what to look for are the best tools. So, check the sender’s details carefully. Does the email address match exactly the official domain of the potential sender? Additionally, review if the email content has any inconsistencies, poor grammar, or unusual requests. If an email prompts you to ask, “Is this email a scam?” take extra steps to verify its authenticity before taking any action.
Using secure communication channels
When you receive an email that looks suspicious, verifying its authenticity via other, more trusted channels might be a good idea. Make a phone call or try contacting the sender via the web site. Like this, you can be sure that an email is legitimate or a scam. Until verified with the sender, avoid providing personal information or clicking on links in emails.
Keeping software and security measures up to date
Keeping your security measures up to date is crucial not only for protection against email scammers but also for the overall health of your PC. Nonetheless, when your antivirus programs, firewalls, and email security tools are regularly updated, it minimizes the chances of malicious emails even reaching your mailbox. Like this, you are spared from wasting your time figuring out if this email is a scam or not.
The Role of Email Verification and Email Checkers
How email verification works
Email verification is the process that confirms that an email address is valid and belongs to a real person. It does so by conducting several checks, such as syntax, domain, and spam checks. Syntax validation ensures the email address is correctly formatted, while domain verification confirms the domain exists and is properly configured to receive emails.
Benefits of using email verification tools
The major advantage of this process is in the ability to identify and block suspicious, invalid, or malicious emails. This, on the one hand, improves the overall user experience by maintaining a cleaner inbox, while on the other, helps filter out potentially harmful emails. Like this, your chances of falling victim to an email scam decrease substantially.
Why should email marketers use email verification tools to reduce the risk of scams
Advantages of email verification in marketing are diverse. First, email verification ensures that email marketing lists contain only valid and active email addresses by eliminating suspicious and non-existent ones, which improves campaign effectiveness and deliverability rates. The second advantage is reduction in bounce rates and avoiding blacklisting from email service providers. Finally, verified email addresses guarantee that marketing communication reaches actual recipients, leading to more trust and engagement.
To Sum Up
In spite of improving email filters and regularly released Google updates, email scams evolve as well. New technologies, such as AI, bring in new opportunities—unfortunately, also to those who use them to cheat other people. As email remains one of the most popular marketing tools, its value for scammers as a potential source of cheating stays high. The continuous development of sophisticated phishing techniques and malicious software means that both individuals and organizations must remain vigilant about potential scams. Education, awareness, and the use of advanced security measures remain our best weapons against never-sleeping scammers. Only by constantly educating ourselves about the ever-changing landscape of these threats can we hope to effectively protect our inboxes from malicious attacks.