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Knowing these common phishing scams will make you much safer

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Fake Royal Mail text

Phishing scams are everywhere. No one is safe, especially as these phishing scams become more advanced and harder to spot. Fortunately, knowing a few key phishing scams can make all the difference to your online security.



Whenever I order something online, I get a text message or email telling me that my package hasn’t been delivered. The scammer then tries to get me to click on a link to “rearrange my delivery”.

Mail scams are one of several types of phishing attacks and I have received both text messages and emails. These fraud attempts are usually easy to identify because they occur shortly after your order, but before the expected delivery date. In addition, you will see a malicious link that is never related to the postal service.

When the official postal company sends you a message, you will often see an email address or name that will be familiar to you; this is not the case with phishing scams.


2 Requests to send money

Another common phishing scam, which is also one of the oldest, is the request to send money. When this happens, the person trying to scam you will often pretend they need cash for an emergency. I find this form of phishing particularly abhorrent because it plays on the fact that most people have good intentions.

Phishing scams where the other person wants to send you money will often try to exonerate you. While you may feel like you are doing the right thing, you must avoid responding or sending cash at all costs.

When strangers want to raise money for something important, they usually do it through fundraisers. However, you should still be wary of scams on GoFundMe and other platforms.

3 “You won the contest”

Another oldie but goldie (if we can use that term) phishing scam is pretending you’ve won a contest. With these kinds of scams, you’ll get a message saying you’ve either won a lot of money or a new new technology.


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phishing scam text on smartphone
Mer_Studio/Shutterstock

These scams can happen whether you’ve entered the contest or not, and if you haven’t, they’re usually easy to avoid. But if the opposite is true, you need to do your due diligence. Additionally, you should be very careful with giveaway contests on social media.

4 Fake invoices

The most convincing phishing email I ever received was a fake invoice from PayPal. I bought something on eBay for $999 and was worried because I thought someone had managed to access my bank account.

Fortunately, I checked a few more times in the coming days and realized it was a fake news. These are some of the most difficult to follow as they are often written with good grammar and use the same style.


You need to be very careful with fake invoices, as they can sometimes pass through your email client’s logs for malicious emails. Unlike most phishing scams, it didn’t end up in my spam folder. If you receive any of these, please forward the message to the company’s customer support team and delete it.

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Norton Scam Email showing subscription renewal confirmation
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5 Fake news

Fake newsletters can sometimes look legitimate, but they can be full of dangerous links. They may have well-thought-out information (or an error-free AI-generated email). Worryingly, you may receive fake newsletters that pretend to be ones you actually subscribe to.

There are several ways you can usually spot fake newsletters. First, they often don’t have an “Opt Out” option. In most countries, legitimate emails must include an unsubscribe button in the messages. And like other phishing emails, you should check that the email was not sent by a fake address.

6 Google Docs Phishing Scams

Most phishing scams target emails and SMS, but cybercriminals are creative in their attempts at fraud. Google Docs phishing scams are another common threat to watch out for.

This scam involves someone sharing a Google Doc with you even when you weren’t expecting it. The document will often contain dangerous links and is a similar threat to receiving spam messages on Instagram and other platforms.


If someone tries to scam you in this way, reporting the document as abuse is a very good idea. You should also manage your “Files shared with me” and remove yourself from the Google Doc.

7 Fake emails from government organizations

Fake emails from government organizations and public bodies such as the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) are very common. This is especially true during tax season, and if you’re a business owner, you may be a particular target.

These types of scams can take many forms, but often you will receive a message indicating that you are owed money. You may also receive messages asking you to share sensitive information such as your social security number.


While you can’t do much with some of your available information, it’s very important to understand that scammers can use your social media. Make sure your accounts are private to minimize your chances of receiving these emails.

8 Fake “Your payment failed” emails.

Aside from failed mail scams, the most common type of phishing messages I receive are emails and texts indicating that a payment has failed. They will mostly relate to the services you use – for example, I received them with my web hosting services and my music streaming apps.

fake spotify account alert email phishing scam

These emails are particularly disturbing because they can be believable. If you’re a Spotify member and it’s getting close to when your subscription usually renews, it’s understandable why you might think you’re having trouble. Sadly, Spotify phishing scams are on the rise – just like these kinds of messaging with other apps.


You can normally identify these scams because the spelling and grammar in their messages are usually sub-optimal. The ideal situation (besides not getting these messages at all) is that you get them outside of the normal renewal date because then you’ll know it’s a scam.

While phishing scams are more sophisticated than they once were, you can protect yourself by understanding some of the most common ones. Knowing what they look like will also go a long way in preventing you from falling prey to them. Always report these scams immediately and never click on any links.

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