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Phishing Email Scams
Fraudulent emails mimicking banks, PayPal, Amazon, or the IRS to steal your credentials and financial information.
$2.9B+
Annual losses (US)
300,000+ annually (US)
Reported victims/year
Report Now
FTC: ReportFraud.ftc.gov
🎭 How Scammers Do It: Tactics
- ▸ Spoof legitimate company email addresses (sender@paypal-secure.com)
- ▸ Clone authentic email templates with logos and branding
- ▸ Create urgent scenarios — account suspended, unusual activity detected
- ▸ Link to fake login pages that capture your username and password
- ▸ Include convincing-looking tracking numbers, invoice attachments, or receipts
- ▸ Use HTML tricks to display a trusted URL while hiding the real malicious one
🚩 Red Flags: Stop If You See These
⚠ Urgent language — "Act now or your account will be closed"
⚠ Sender email domain does not match the company name
⚠ Hover over links to see the actual URL before clicking
⚠ Generic greetings ("Dear Customer") instead of your name
⚠ Requests for login credentials, passwords, or SSN via email
⚠ Unexpected attachments even from known-looking senders
⚠ Poor grammar, unusual punctuation, or off-brand formatting
🛡️ How to Protect Yourself
1. Never click links in emails — go directly to the website
2. Enable multi-factor authentication on all accounts
3. Use a password manager to detect fake login pages
4. Check sender email address carefully, not just the display name
5. Verify suspicious communications by calling the company directly
6. Keep browser and email client updated with latest security patches
📋 How to Report This Scam
Forward phishing emails to reportphishing@apwg.org and to the impersonated company's security team.