{"id":76633,"date":"2023-11-28T16:38:08","date_gmt":"2023-11-28T16:38:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mailrelay.com\/glossary\/scam\/"},"modified":"2026-10-14T11:38:10","modified_gmt":"2026-10-14T11:38:10","slug":"scam","status":"publish","type":"glossary","link":"https:\/\/mailrelay.com\/en\/glossary\/scam\/","title":{"rendered":"Scam"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A scam is a fraud: a trick designed to get someone to hand over money, personal data or access to their accounts.<\/strong> The word is an informal English term for a swindle<\/em>, a con<\/em> or a rip-off<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n

Today the word is used mostly for online tricks: emails, SMS, WhatsApp, social media or fake websites.<\/p>\n\n

What does scam mean?<\/h2>\n\n

Scam<\/em> means a swindle or a con. You’ll also come across these related words:<\/p>\n\n

Word<\/th>What it means<\/th>Example<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
Scam<\/td>A swindle, a con<\/td>\u201cThat prize message is a scam\u201d<\/td><\/tr>
Scams<\/td>Swindles, cons (plural)<\/td>\u201cWatch out for fake job offer scams\u201d<\/td><\/tr>
Scammer<\/td>Fraudster, con artist<\/td>\u201cThe scammer was pretending to be the bank\u201d<\/td><\/tr>
Scamming<\/td>The practice of swindling people<\/td>\u201cSMS scamming keeps growing\u201d<\/td><\/tr>
To scam<\/td>To swindle (informal)<\/td>\u201cSomeone tried to scam me in a buy-and-sell group\u201d<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n

Don’t confuse it with spam<\/a>, which is the mass sending of unsolicited messages. Spam is annoying; a scam is out to deceive you. Spammers<\/a> often use spam to slip in a scam.<\/p>\n\n

How does a scam work?<\/h2>\n\n

Almost all scams follow the same steps:<\/p>\n\n

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  1. Contact.<\/strong> You get a message, a call or an ad that seems to come from someone you trust.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Hook.<\/strong> They offer you something great or scare you with a problem: a prize, a debt, a package being held.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Urgency.<\/strong> You have to act now, before the offer expires or your account gets blocked.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. Request.<\/strong> They ask you to click a link, give your details, install an app or make a payment.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  5. Disappearance.<\/strong> Once they get what they want, the scammer cuts off contact.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n

    The trick is always the same: get you to act fast without stopping to think.<\/p>\n\n

    \"How<\/figure>\n\n
    \n

    Make sure your emails never look like a scam<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Authenticate your domain and always send from a sender your subscribers recognize. Free for up to 80,000 emails a month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
    Create a free account<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n

    Most common types of scams<\/h2>\n\n
    Type<\/th>How it reaches you<\/th>What they’re after<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
    Phishing<\/a><\/td>Email imitating a bank, a store or a government agency<\/td>Passwords and card details<\/td><\/tr>
    Smishing<\/td>SMS with a link (\u201cYour package is being held\u201d)<\/td>Personal data and small payments<\/td><\/tr>
    Vishing<\/td>Call from a fake technician or from the \u201cbank\u201d<\/td>Passwords and remote access to your computer<\/td><\/tr>
    \u201cHi Mom\u201d<\/td>WhatsApp message from a supposed son or daughter with a new number<\/td>An urgent transfer<\/td><\/tr>
    CEO fraud<\/td>Email from a fake executive to an employee<\/td>A payment into the scammer’s account<\/td><\/tr>
    Investments and cryptocurrencies<\/td>Ads featuring celebrities and high returns<\/td>Money that is never recovered<\/td><\/tr>
    Fake online stores<\/td>Online stores with very low prices<\/td>Your payment, with nothing ever shipped<\/td><\/tr>
    Fake jobs<\/td>Offers that ask you to pay for a course or paperwork<\/td>Money and personal data<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n

    Many of these scams pretend to be real companies. To do so, they fake the sender, a technique called spoofing<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n

    How to recognize a scam<\/h2>\n\n

    These signs should make you suspicious:<\/p>\n\n