How to Detect Scam Emails

Is That Email a Scam? How to Investigate and Protect Yourself

The first step is to protect yourself.

Before we dive into the specific tricks for spotting a scam, let’s start with the most important rule: always prioritize your protection. Here are four fundamental rules to live by when you suspect an email is malicious.

Rule #1: Never Click a Link in a Suspicious Email

Buttons or links that say “Login,” “Click Here,” or “View Invoice” are often designed to take you to a fake website that looks identical to the real one. Once you enter your username and password, the scammers steal your credentials.

Instead of clicking, open a new browser tab and manually type in the correct website address. For example, if the email appears to be from Amazon, go to Amazon’s website directly to log in and check your account.

Rule #2: Never Open or Download Suspicious Attachments

This is a golden rule of email security. Attachments in malicious emails are almost always disguised malware, such as viruses, Trojans, or keyloggers. They can be disguised as what look like harmless files, like PDFs, Word documents, or ZIP files. If you don’t recognize the sender or are suspicious of the email, simply ignore the attachment and delete the email immediately.

Rule #3: Never Unsubscribe. It’s a trap!

Beware of the “unsubscribe” link. While a scam email might look like a harmless mailing list, clicking that link does the opposite of what you want. It confirms to the scammer that your email address is active, essentially putting a target on your back for more attacks.

Instead of unsubscribing, mark the email as spam or create a filter to automatically send it to your junk folder. Only unsubscribe from emails you know you legitimately signed up for.

Rule #4: Resist the Urge to Panic

Scammers thrive on urgency. They craft messages designed to make you feel like you’re in trouble with a locked account, a fraudulent charge, or a security threat, so you’ll act impulsively without thinking.

Before you click a link or download an attachment, take a deep breath. Slow down and carefully investigate the email. Most of the time, the moment you slow down and look closely, you’ll start to notice the telltale signs that something isn’t right. Your rational approach is your best defense.

Investigating the Scam: The Sender is Your First Clue

The first thing you should investigate when you believe an email is fake is look at the address it’s  originating from. Most of the time you can just stop at this step, because it becomes blatantly obvious it’s fake. 

Here are some common ones ripped from my inbox:

The Captain Obvious

This email above is supposedly being sent by “State Farm” – however check out that email address. I feel someone just smacked their palm on the keyboard to make the address. Definitely not real.

Split Personalities

Oh, hello Jane..wait, or Daniel? Make up your mind! 99% of the time the sender’s name will reflect the email address. It becomes rather obvious when the sender’s name and email address doesn’t line up.

Cost Cutting Corporations

No major corporation is going to be sending out offers from a free Gmail (or Outlook) account. Most businesses send emails from their own domains, not free ones anyone can sign up for.

Domain Alphabet Soup

Check the domain in the email address to see if it’s the correct spelling (that’s the portion after the @ in the email address). Sometimes slight variations of an email address might throw you off, for example:

• Adding numbers instead of letters:
  [email protected] or [email protected]
• Slight misspellings:
  [email protected] or [email protected]
• Hyphens:
  [email protected] or [email protected]

These are just a few examples of different email addresses you might encounter, there are many more variations. Just use common sense when investigating the sender’s email address. If something feels off, most likely it is.

Going Deeper: Investigating the Email’s Content

If a suspicious sender address isn’t enough to confirm your suspicions, it’s time to dig into the body of the email itself. Here are a few more tricks I use to spot a scam.

Search Google

 Is there a specific phrase or unique sentence in the email that seems suspicious (like the one above)? Copy and paste it into a Google search. Often, the first few results will confirm it’s a known scam, and you may even find discussions about it on forums like Reddit.

Check for Misspellings and Bad Grammar

Legitimate companies have teams of professionals who proofread every email. Spelling mistakes and poor grammar are extremely rare in official communications. Scammers, on the other hand, often make these errors. A poorly written email is a major red flag designed to target gullible users.

Link Destinations

Never click a link in a suspicious email. Instead, hover your mouse over it (without clicking!) to see the full URL in the bottom-left corner of your browser. If the destination URL looks strange, it doesn’t match the company’s official website, or it’s a jumble of random letters, it’s most likely a scam.

Contact the Sender Directly

I’ve seen some very sophisticated phishing attempts that appear to come from a friend, family member, or client. If the email is asking for sensitive information like login credentials or money, never reply to the email directly. Instead, compose a brand new email and manually type their address, or better yet, text or call them to confirm they sent the message. A quick check is always worth it and it’s a lot better than losing your money or account access.