Can you spot a fake email?

Scam emails and texts copy real companies. Look at each example and decide whether it shows a warning sign, then see what government guides say.

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1 of 5
From: “PayPal Support” · support@paypa1-secure.net · “There's a problem with your account. Please confirm your payment information.”
2 of 5
The sender's name shows as “Your Bank”, but the address is alerts@yourbank-security-team.com
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“URGENT: verify within 24 hours or your account will be closed.”
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An email with a QR code: “Scan to confirm your delivery address.”
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A message from your bank that says: “Call the number on the back of your card if you didn't make this purchase.”

How big is it

In 2025, consumers sent the FTC 3 million fraud reports, with $15.9 billion in reported losses. Among reports that said how the scammer first got in touch, a text message was the most reported way.
In 2025, the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center received 191,561 complaints about phishing and spoofing (by email, text or phone), with $215,843,126 in reported losses.

US: forward phishing emails to the Anti-Phishing Working Group at reportphishing@apwg.org, and report to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
Canada: report to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at reportcyberandfraud.canada.ca, or call 1-888-495-8501.

Sources (7)Where each fact comes from