Email Scams
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.
Quick answer
The seven red flags: (1) urgency or a threat with a deadline, (2) a sender address that doesn't match the real company's domain, (3) a generic greeting like 'Dear customer', (4) a request to click a link and 'verify' or 'sign in', (5) any request for payment by gift card, wire, crypto, or payment app, (6) an attachment you weren't expecting, and (7) a request for secrecy. One flag means be careful. Two or more means don't touch it — forward it to check@spamcheck.com and get a clear answer before doing anything.
1. Manufactured urgency
'Within 24 hours.' 'Final notice.' 'Your account will be closed.' Urgency is the scammer's most important tool because it stops you from thinking and from checking with anyone else. Real companies give you time; scammers can't afford to. Any deadline pressure is itself the red flag — regardless of what the email claims to be about.
2. A sender address that doesn't match
The display name says 'Amazon Support' but the actual address is amazon-alerts@secure-verify.info. On a phone, tap the sender's name to reveal the real address. A real company emails from its own domain — @amazon.com, @paypal.com — not from Gmail, and not from a domain that's one letter off or stuffed with extra words.
3. A generic greeting
'Dear customer.' 'Dear user.' 'Hello, account holder.' Your bank knows your name and uses it. Generic greetings mean the same message went to millions of addresses — which means it's a blast, not a notice about your actual account. Not decisive on its own, but a strong supporting clue.
4. 'Click here to verify'
The single most dangerous pattern in scam email: a link that takes you to a page asking you to sign in. That page is a fake that harvests your password. The safe habit is absolute — never reach a login page from an email link. Open the company's app or type the address yourself. If the issue is real, it's waiting inside your account.
5. Payment by gift card, wire, crypto, or app
No legitimate organization — no bank, no government agency, no utility, no company — accepts payment in gift cards, and virtually none demand wire transfers, Bitcoin, or Zelle from customers. These methods are demanded precisely because they're irreversible. The moment one appears, the conversation is over: it's a scam.
6. An attachment you weren't expecting
Unexpected 'invoices', 'shipping documents', or 'voice message' files are the standard way malware arrives. The dangerous ones end in .zip, .html, .iso, or ask you to 'Enable Content' in Word or Excel. When in doubt, don't open it — ask the sender through a known channel, or forward the whole email to check@spamcheck.com and we'll look at the file type and sender before you touch it.
7. A request for secrecy
'Don't tell your bank.' 'Keep this between us.' 'Don't tell your parents.' Secrecy exists for one reason: the scam doesn't survive a second opinion. Any message that asks you to hide it from someone is telling you exactly what to do — show it to someone.
When you're still not sure
Real life is messy: sometimes a legitimate company sends a badly written email, and sometimes a scam looks perfect. That's what a second opinion is for. Forward the message to check@spamcheck.com and get a plain-English answer — usually within a minute — on whether it's safe and what to do next. Your first check is free, and no signup is needed.
Frequently asked questions
- What if an email has none of these flags but still feels off?
- Trust the instinct — 'feels off' is often your brain noticing a dozen small inconsistencies at once. Verify through a channel you already trust, or forward it to check@spamcheck.com. Being wrong costs you a minute; being wrong the other way can cost your savings.
- Do scammers really use all seven flags in one email?
- Often three or four at once — urgency plus a fake sign-in link plus a mismatched address is a classic combination. The more flags, the more confident you can be. But one flag is enough to justify not acting through the message.
Sources
SpamCheck provides informational risk assessments and cannot guarantee that any message is completely safe. When money or sensitive information is involved, independently contact the organization using a trusted phone number or website.
About SpamCheck
SpamCheck helps people understand suspicious emails by letting them forward the message to check@spamcheck.com and receive a plain-English analysis. This guide was published by SpamCheck and written and reviewed by the SpamCheck Editorial Team.
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.
How to Check If an Email Is Legitimate
Verifying a legitimate email is a different job from spotting an obvious scam. Here is how to confirm a message really came from who it claims.
The 10 Most Common Email Scams of 2026 (And How to Spot Each One)
Scammers reuse the same ten plays because they keep working. Learn the one tell that breaks each of them.
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.
Is This Bank Email Real or Fake?
Bank alerts are the most imitated emails there are. Here is how to separate a real notice from a convincing fake in a couple of minutes.