Phishing emails and spam are similar, but there are 5 key differences

Although the terms “phishing” and “spam” are used interchangeably, they are quite different. Understanding how they differ is vital because they both require different actions when you receive them.

1 Personalization and intent

Phishing and spam emails have different intentions and as a result they also differ in personalization. Spam emails are often designed to try to sell a product or service; these messages typically appear in informational or promotional formats.

Phishing emails, on the other hand, are more harmful. You usually get these emails when someone is trying to get money from you or steal your personal information to cause harm elsewhere. That’s why I take a few precautions to make it easier to spot phishing emails.

Most of the time, spam emails are sent in bulk. As a result, these messages are often not personalized. On the other hand, phishing emails can look legitimate because they are somewhat personalized; in addition to using your name, these messages may impersonate the services you use.

You will also sometimes receive phishing emails when you send a package. Understanding the different types of phishing attacks is essential, as unfortunately there are many.

2 Email content and grammatical accuracy

The grammatical accuracy of spam and phishing emails can vary greatly. Many phishing emails contain misspellings and bad grammar, but with the use of generative artificial intelligence, identifying messages based on these is more difficult.

Spam emails, on the other hand, often have correct spelling and grammar. They also usually have persuasive language that tries to demonstrate the benefits of the product or service (even if it would actually be pointless for you to buy it).

One of the biggest reasons why spam and phishing emails are often grouped together is because they emphasize urgency. For example, I received several spam emails telling me that the world would end if I didn’t buy the product.

Phishing emails usually use urgency differently; you will often see that your payment information has been declined or that someone needs money for a medical emergency. Either way, I recommend taking a step back and rationally evaluating the message before taking any action.

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3 Links and attachments

Phishing emails may contain links that are not related to a product or service. For example, you may see shortened links appear; when you hover over a call to action (CTA), you may also see a link from a completely different source. Under no circumstances should you click on them.

Spam emails, on the other hand, could contain legitimate links. When you click through, you will often be taken to the original products/services page. Even after that, you should not pay any attention to these links.

Both spam and phishing emails can contain attachments. Phishing email attachments often refer to invoices and similar types of documents. On the other hand, spam e-mail attachments may include aspects such as newsletters. In addition to phishing emails, you should also be careful to avoid social media scams.

4 Legitimacy

While spam emails are annoying, they usually come from legitimate senders. When you look at the sender, you’ll normally see a company email address or something from someone who works there. A profile picture may also be displayed on some web clients (eg Gmail).

Phishing emails are never genuine, but you need to be careful when verifying the source. Sometimes you’ll see email addresses similar to real websites (eg using .co when the official source is .com).

However, most of the time you will see generic phishing email addresses. Many of them will also contain multiple numbers or other nuisances. If you are unfortunate enough to click on a phishing email, you should consider the red flags to identify a phishing website.

5 Threat level

Phishing emails and spam differ significantly in how dangerous they are. Spam emails are more of a nuisance than a real cause for concern. However, you should not use the products and services advertised in these messages. They are often useless and you should be wary of using anything from a company that uses deceptive marketing tactics.

On the other hand, phishing emails are often very dangerous. At best, someone will try to scam you (even then, it’s far from ideal). In the worst case scenario, a criminal may try to steal your personal information.

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Spam and phishing emails are different in many ways, and knowing the difference between them is important for your protection.

However, you should not treat spam lightly just because it is not as dangerous as phishing. Take the necessary precautions to keep yourself safe in both scenarios.