Quick Scam Check

Is this email real or fake?

If the email asks you to pay, sign in, call a number, download an attachment, share a code, or fix an urgent account problem, pause before you act. A real email may still be important, but you do not have to use the email itself to handle it.

The safest check is to leave the email alone and go to the account another way. Use the official app, a saved bookmark, a bill you already trust, or the company's website typed in by you.

Download the free 2026 scam guide (PDF) Take the free course

How to check the email

1
Look at the sender name and the sender address. The display name can say anything, so read the address too. Watch for extra words, misspellings, odd endings, or free email accounts pretending to be a company.
2
Ask what the email is trying to make you do. Scams often push payment, password resets, refund claims, remote computer help, or one-time codes.
3
Be careful with attachments. An invoice, receipt, shipping label, or security notice can be fake even when it looks official.
4
Do not use the phone number in the email. If you need to call, find the number from a statement, card, official app, or website you reached yourself.
5
Do not use a sign-in button from the email while you are unsure. Go to the service the normal way and check whether the same notice appears there.
6
If the email says you have only a few minutes or hours, slow down. Urgency is a common tool scammers use to keep you from checking.

What to do next

If it looks like a scam

Do not reply, do not call the number in it, and do not download anything from it. Mark it as spam or phishing in your email account. If the message used the name of a real company, you can report it through that company's official fraud or abuse page. If you paid, gave a password, shared a code, or let someone into your computer, contact the affected bank, card company, or account provider right away.

If it looks real

Handle it from the official account instead of from the email. For example, if it says your subscription is renewing, sign in to that service the way you normally do and check billing there. If it says your bank account has a problem, use the number on the back of your card. A legitimate issue should not require you to trust one email.

Real examples of what fake emails look like

A fake renewal invoice may say Geek Squad, Norton, PayPal, McAfee, or another service is about to charge you for a plan you do not remember buying. The email may include a large invoice and a phone number to cancel. That phone number is the trap. The person who answers may ask for remote access to your computer or your bank information to process a fake refund.

A fake account-suspension email may say your email, streaming, shopping, or payment account will be locked unless you verify now. The goal is to get your password. The safe check is to go to the account yourself. If you can sign in normally and there is no warning inside the account, the email was probably fake.

A fake delivery email may say a package is delayed and needs your address or a fee. If you are expecting a package, check through the store account or the delivery service's official tracking page using the tracking number from your order.

A fake payment email may say you sent or received money, or that someone disputed a charge. Do not answer from the email. Go to the payment account yourself and check the activity page.

Free guide and course

The 2026 Top 5 Scams in the US

Lumoset Foundation's free 2026 scam guide explains the common scam patterns in plain language: fake renewal invoices, package messages, toll texts, family emergency calls, and bank-impostor messages. It is built for quick checking, not for technical experts.

Download the free guide (PDF) →

Spot the Scam: free course

You can also take the free Spot the Scam course at lumoset.org/allcourses/. The course teaches the verify-first habit: pause, step outside the message, and check from a source you chose.

Start the free course →

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Other scam checks

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A good rule for any email

An email is a notice, not proof. It may alert you to something real, but it should not be the only path you use to solve it. Real companies can be reached through normal channels. Scammers need you to stay inside the path they created.

You are allowed to take time. You are allowed to ignore a phone number in an email. You are allowed to ask someone else to read it with you. None of that is rude. It is how you protect yourself.

If you are helping someone else, do not blame them for being unsure. Say, "Let's check it another way." That keeps the person calm enough to make a safer decision, which is the point today.