Spam Alert: How to Detect Scammers Trying to Steal Money via Email

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Every single day, about 8 billion spam emails flood inboxes across the U.S., and the Komando staff (myself included) has seen some wild ones recently. Here’s a peek at some real-life spam scams that are circulating right now.

The $40,000 Fake Invoice Scam

Recently, I got an email from “Paul Delcroix,” demanding immediate payment for a $39,500 invoice. The subject line read, “Fwd: Past due Inv 324476.” The email included a thread that looked like a conversation between me (using my private company email) and “Paul,” making it seem like we were doing business together.

The scam was cleverly designed. In one message, I asked “Paul” to reach out to our finance director, Amber, to arrange the payment. The email thread was fabricated to trick Amber into thinking I had already approved the invoice, and she should send over the money.

What made this scam even more convincing was that “Paul” knew personal details about us—my private email, Amber’s role at the company, her email address, and our industry. He even claimed we owed money for “Ethics in Broadcasting” legal materials, which aligned with our business.

Thankfully, Amber was suspicious. She forwarded me the email because she’s always part of the conversation when large payments are involved. That quick thinking saved us from falling for the scam.

Geek Squad Invoice Scam

Content Queen Allie has been receiving email receipts for Geek Squad subscriptions she never signed up for. The goal? To make you believe you forgot to pay for something and trick you into handing over your credit card or bank information.

These emails look like legitimate invoices, but they’re designed to make you panic. If you don’t fall for the email, they often include a fake customer service number. If you call, scammers on the other end pretend to help and push you to make a payment or trick you in some other way.

Sextortion Scams

Even the IT pros aren’t safe. Komando’s own tech genius, John, was targeted in a recent sextortion scam. He received an email with a PDF attached, containing his full name, work address, phone number, and a threatening message, “I ain’t playing games.”

These scams are getting more aggressive, and they often aim to scare victims into handing over money to avoid some form of public embarrassment.

Stay Alert!

Scams like these are designed to exploit your trust and trick you into making quick decisions. Always double-check emails that seem suspicious, verify invoices with colleagues, and never call the numbers provided in shady emails. Staying cautious is your best defense against these online crooks.