This email looks real, but is it a fake?
Check the request through a contact you already know.
A logo, familiar name and neat writing can all be copied. Odd spelling is a clue, but clean spelling is not proof.
A real email can contain a deadline. Check what it asks you to do without using its links, files or phone number.
For example, an invoice from a shop you use may still be fake. Check the order in your known shop account first.
- Pause before you reply, open a file or pay.
- Use the company's app, a saved bookmark or contact details from an earlier real purchase.
- Check whether the request appears in your account. If it does not, ask the company through that known channel.
- Do not give a password or sign-in code to someone who contacts you.
- If you shared a password or paid, start account or payment recovery promptly. Do not wait for an AI verdict.
Use a made-up email: 'Your invoice is late. Pay through this new link today.' Explain what I should check through the shop's known app or contact. Do not decide who sent it or ask for my real email.
Paste the message into ChatGPT, then fill in any blanks before you send it. ChatGPT opens in a new tab. Opening it does not send the message.
You can verify a real request without trusting the message that brought it.
Sources and more help
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