A spoofed email is a message that intentionally pretends to be sent by someone other than the real sender. The goal is to trick the recipient by showing a fake, trustworthy address in the “From” field while the email is actually sent by the wrong person or an attacker. This technique is common in many scams.
Most common types of spoofed or fake emails targeting businesses
- Phishing: Emails that lure employees into entering sensitive information on fake websites, e.g., logins to company systems.
- Business Email Compromise (BEC): Fraudulent emails where an attacker impersonates a CEO or employee and requests an urgent payment or wire transfer.
- Fake invoices and purchase orders: Emails with fraudulent invoices or payment requests that can cause financial losses.
- Impersonation for help or information: Emails pretending to be friends or coworkers, often asking for money or sensitive data.
- These emails often look legitimate, but the goal is to steal money, data, or access to company systems. That’s why careful verification of the sender and the email content is essential.
How to recognize a spoofed email?
- Detecting spoofed emails can be difficult. With the rise of AI, these messages are increasingly polished and harder to spot.
- See this guide on how to spot the basic signs of spoofed and phishing emails from an end-user perspective.