What Does a Spam Email Look Like? 8 Phishing Examples
Reading Time: 4 minutesEveryone thinks they won’t fall for a phishing scam, but people still do. So what are the red flags you need to watch out for? Here are some examples.
Don’t underestimate spam emails. Cybercriminals are getting more creative with how they hide phishing attempts in messages nowadays. Phishing is simply a social engineering attack which involves sending fraudulent messages purporting to be from a legit source. Even tech-savvy people can fall for these attacks.
Although mailing service providers filter spam emails by default, you’d do well to assess your inbox manually. Some attacks could still fall through the cracks, after all. So how do you spot a phishing, i.e. fake, email? What should you look out for?
1. Unusual Contact Information Updates
Brands sometimes ask customers for information updates via email. They could remind you to change your password, provide a secondary phone number, or add a new security question. Many messages link to new login pages.
Although contact information updates are normal, watch out for fake requests from hackers. They look legitimate at a glance. You’ll have to scrutinize messages for inconsistencies—which seldom appear on authentic update prompts.
Let’s examine the above spam email. Considering the multiple grammatical errors, incorrect logo design, generic greeting, and fake sender verification, it’s likely a phishing link.
If you have doubts, visit the business website yourself via another tab, browser, or device. Cybercriminals will only get your login credentials if you enter them through their phishing links.
2. Casino or Game Payouts
While there are several legit online casino games, there are also many shady betting sites owned by hackers too. They email fake payouts to random people. If you click on their links, they’ll ask for your banking details so that you can supposedly withdraw your ‘earnings.’
The above message looks neat. It uses a simple layout, the body has proper grammar, and the timestamps are accurate. You won’t notice it’s a scam right away.
But as a general rule, avoid clicking unsolicited payouts. No online casino sends random payouts—especially to cold leads with no gaming accounts.
Upon further inspection, you’ll see that Big Dollar Casino has a terrible reputation. Some say it runs a legit online casino, but its involvement with phishing links, data breaches, spam messages, and withheld fund withdrawals will make you think otherwise.
3. Appointment Invites for Government Programs
Never accept appointment invites discussing government programs like grants and relief services unless you personally applied for them. Otherwise, you might fall victim to identity thieves. They take advantage of the needy by pretending to offer relief services and then stealing their personal information.
Take the above email as an example. It doesn’t have a personal greeting, the introduction looks unconvincing, and social workers rarely ask applicants to call them. It’s a scam. Only contact government departments and agencies through their public hotlines.
4. Random Prize Draws
Many social engineering attacks involve rewards. They use false promises and made-up prizes to trick recipients into divulging personal information. The sender often impersonates legit brands.
Let’s check the above example. It doesn’t seem suspicious since it comes from a real company domain, but Gmail filtered it as spam for abusing rewards.
Not all incentives are cyberattacks. However, you should never click on links or download attachments in emails, regardless of the indicated email sender. Visit the company’s website if you create an account. That way, even if the email is a phishing attack, the criminal behind it can’t capture your information.
5. Nearly Blank Emails
While many spam emails trick victims with complex, made-up threats and rewards, others use short one-liners. They often contain nothing but links. The anchor text will likely use weird, open-ended statements to pique your curiosity and encourage you to visit their page.
Avoid interacting with these messages. Remember that legit emails always have a greeting, body, and closing. No respectable brand sends spam emails with vague content, random links, and shady promises.
But if you’re still unsure, analyze the page’s contents. Copy-paste the phishing link on a separate document and analyze the address. It should show the source website.
6. Fake App Transaction Verifications
Millions of consumers prefer to use digital wallets nowadays. Although they offer convenience and security over cash transactions, they can expose you to cyberattacks, notably financial identity theft.
The biggest red flag in the above example is that it failed to copy PayApp protocols. The messages use a different color scheme; sizable transactions require more than just login credentials; and no wallet randomly sends $30,000 payout notifications.
Don’t be too quick to trust other emails from your preferred online payment companies. Criminals can also pose as them. They’ll earn your trust by duplicating logos and prompt templates, then trick you into divulging information through fake transactions.
7. Dummy Email Addresses
Cybercriminals gain their victims’ trust by masquerading as a widely trusted company or website. For instance, they could pose as Facebook. In the above example, you’ll see that the attacker instills fear in their recipients by duplicating account login prompts. The warning presents two actions. But considering the nature of this message, both will lead to a fake login page.
Beware of these messages; they look scarily real. Always verify the sender’s address, regardless of whether the email went to your inbox or spam folder. See if it leads to a legit source. Avoid interacting with dummy accounts that have fake domains, typos, lengthy usernames, or leetspeak (jargonistic internet abbreviations).
8. Sudden Game Invites
Beware of random game invites. Crooks use appealing in-game rewards (i.e. free spins or coins) to catch your attention and send phishing links. They often lead to random casino games. The ‘game’ will say you won a cash prize before asking for your personal and banking information.
The above example looks suspicious since it’s a blank email from an unknown source. Other more sophisticated templates might try gaining your trust first by impersonating widely known gaming sites or online casinos.
The best practice would be to avoid unknown games altogether. Apart from phishing attacks, shady betting sites also steal money by withholding player funds, selling personal information, and spreading malware.
Spot Spam and Phishing Emails at a Glance
Make a habit of reviewing your emails. Don’t click random links, avoid downloading attached files, and double-check the sender’s address before engaging with a message. If in doubt, contact your mailing service provider.
Just note that not all phishing attempts use the same methods. Cybercriminals have various tricks up their sleeves—many emails won’t look like the above photos, but they should nonetheless clue you in on some of the red flags. You might fall for them if you’re careless. To further minimize your susceptibility to phishing, familiarize yourself with other telltale signs of a cyberattack.
Reference: https://www.makeuseof.com/what-does-spam-email-look-like/
Ref: makeuseof
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