The 10 Most Common Email Scams of 2026 (And How to Spot Each One)

1. Fake package delivery notices

'Your package is held — pay a $1.99 redelivery fee.' USPS, FedEx, UPS, and DHL are impersonated constantly, especially around holidays. The tell: real carriers don't charge redelivery fees by text or email link, and the sender address won't be the carrier's real domain. Check tracking only at the carrier's official site, typed in yourself.

2. Fake bank fraud alerts

'Unusual activity on your account — verify now.' The tell: the message creates urgency and provides its own link or phone number. A real bank is perfectly happy for you to ignore the email and sign in through your own app. If the alert is real, it's waiting inside your account.

3. Subscription-renewal invoices

'Your Geek Squad / Norton / McAfee plan has renewed for $399. Call to cancel.' The tell: there is no subscription — the invoice is bait to get you to call, where the 'refund' scam begins. Real renewals appear in the account you actually have with that company. Never call the number on the invoice.

4. Account-suspension warnings

'Your Amazon / PayPal / Apple / Netflix account will be suspended.' The tell: generic greetings ('Dear customer'), a countdown, and a login link that goes somewhere other than the real site. Sign in through the real app — if your account has a problem, it will say so there.

5. Sextortion emails

'We recorded you through your webcam. Pay in Bitcoin.' Often includes an old password of yours from a data breach to seem credible. The tell: it's a mass-mailed bluff — there's no video. Don't reply, don't pay. Change any account still using that password and report it to ic3.gov.

6. Fake invoices and payment requests

A PayPal invoice, DocuSign request, or wire instruction you weren't expecting — sometimes arriving through a legitimate service, which makes it look real. The tell: you have no prior relationship with the sender and the message pressures quick payment. Verify with the supposed vendor through contact details you look up independently.

7. Government impersonation

'IRS refund,' 'Social Security suspended,' 'Medicare card update.' The tell: these agencies do not initiate contact by email demanding information or payment. The IRS's first contact is always postal mail. Social Security never suspends numbers. Delete, and report at reportfraud.ftc.gov.

8. 'Grandchild in trouble' emergencies

'Grandma, I'm in jail / in the hospital — don't tell Mom.' Increasingly backed by AI-cloned voices on a follow-up call. The tell: secrecy plus urgency plus an unusual payment method. The fix is a pre-agreed family code word — ask for it, and the scam ends instantly.

9. Romance and 'wrong number' hooks

'Sorry, wrong number — but you seem nice...' or a dating-profile match who moves to email fast. Weeks of friendly conversation end in a crypto 'investment opportunity.' The tell: a stranger who avoids meeting, plus any mention of investing. Real friends never route you to a trading platform.

10. Fake job offers

High pay, no interview, work from home — then a 'check' to deposit for equipment, or a request for your ID and bank details 'for payroll.' The tell: real employers don't hire without interviews, don't send checks before you start, and don't ask for banking details before day one.

The one habit that beats all ten

Notice that every scam above requires you to act through the message itself — its link, its phone number, its reply address. The habit that defeats all of them: never act through the message. Contact the organization through a channel you already have, or forward the email to check@spamcheck.com and get a plain-English answer in under a minute. The first check is free.

Frequently asked questions

Why do scam emails have spelling mistakes if they're so sophisticated?

Most modern ones don't — AI tools write polished scam copy now. When mistakes do appear, some researchers believe they're deliberate: they filter out skeptical people early, leaving the most persuadable targets. Either way, clean writing is no longer proof of legitimacy.

I got one of these. Should I do anything besides delete it?

Yes: use your email app's 'Report phishing' button (trains the filter for everyone), forward it to reportphishing@apwg.org, and if a real company was impersonated, forward it to that company's abuse address. Then delete.

Sources

• FTC — How to Recognize and Avoid Phishing Scams
• FBI IC3 — Annual Internet Crime Report
• FTC — Data Spotlight on impersonation scams

Related guides

• Is This Email a Scam? How to Check

  You have a suspicious email open right now. Here is the fastest reliable way to decide whether it is a scam, without clicking anything in it.

• 7 Red Flags That an Email Is a Scam

  You don't need to be technical. These seven signs catch the overwhelming majority of scam emails before you click.

• Fake Invoice Emails: How to Spot Them

  Invoice scams work because paying bills is normal. Here is how to check any unexpected invoice before money moves.

• Amazon Scam Emails: How to Spot Them

  Fake order confirmations and Prime renewal notices are designed to make you call. Here is how to check any Amazon message in under a minute.

• USPS Scam Texts and Emails: How to Spot Them

  'Your package could not be delivered' is the most sent scam text there is. Here is why USPS never charges you that way.

• How to Check If a Link Is Safe Before You Click

  The link is where scams happen. Six ways to check one — from a two-second hover to asking a human.