Quick LinksPersonalization and Intent Email Content and Grammatical Accuracy Links and Attachments Legitimacy Threat Level
Although the terms "phishing" and "spam" are used interchangeably, they're quite different. Understanding how they differ is vital since both require different actions when you receive them.
✕ Remove Ads 1 Personalization and Intent
Phishing and spam emails have different intents, and as a result, they also differ in personalization. Spam emails are often designed to try and sell a product or service; you'll normally see these messages appear in newsletter or promotional formats.
Phishing emails, on the other hand, are more malicious. You typically receive these emails when someone is trying to scam you out of money or steal your personal information to cause harm elsewhere. This is why I take several measures to spot phishing emails more easily.
Most of the time, spam emails are sent en masse. As a result, these messages are often not personalized. On the other hand, phishing emails can look legitimate because they're somewhat personalized; besides using your name, these messages may impersonate the services you use.
Sometimes, you'll also receive phishing emails when you've sent a parcel. Understanding the different types of phishing attacks is essential because unfortunately, so many exist.
✕ Remove Ads 2 Email Content and Grammatical Accuracy
The grammatical accuracy in spam and phishing emails can differ greatly. Many phishing emails contain incorrect spelling and bad grammar, but with the use of generative AI, identifying messages based on these has become more difficult.
On the other hand, spam emails often have the correct spelling and grammar. They'll also normally have persuasive language that tries to showcase a product or service's benefits (even if buying it would actually be pointless for you).
One of the biggest reasons spam and phishing emails are often grouped together is because they emphasize urgency. For example, I've received multiple spam emails telling me the world will end unless I buy a product.
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Phishing emails normally use urgency differently; you'll often see that your payment details were rejected or that someone needs money for a medical emergency. Either way, I suggest taking a step back and assessing the message rationally before taking any action.
3 Links and Attachments
Phishing emails might include links that don't relate to the product or service. For example, you might see shortened links appear; when you hover over a call-to-action (CTA), you may also see a link from a completely different source. Either way, you should not click on them under any circumstances.
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Spam emails, on the other hand, could include legitimate links. When you click through, you'll often appear on a genuine products/services page. Even then, you should not pay any attention to these links.
Both spam and phishing emails might include attachments. Phishing email attachments often relate to invoices and similar types of documents. On the other hand, spam email attachments might include aspects such as newsletters. Besides phishing emails, you should also beware of avoiding scams on social media sites.
4 Legitimacy
While spam emails are annoying, they're normally from legitimate senders. When you look at the sender, you'll normally see a company email address or something from someone who works there. You might also see a profile picture on some web clients (e.g., Gmail).
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Phishing emails are never genuine, but you must be careful when verifying the source. Sometimes, you'll see email addresses similar to a genuine website (e.g., using .co when the official source is .com).
Much of the time, however, you'll see generic phishing email addresses. Lots of these will also include multiple numbers or other annoyances. If you have the misfortune of clicking on a phishing email, you should consider the red flags to identify a phishing website.
5 Threat Level
Phishing emails and spam differ significantly in how dangerous they are. Spam emails are more of an annoyance than a genuine cause for concern. However, you should still not use the products and services promoted in these messages. They're often useless, and you should be wary of using anything from a company that uses deceptive marketing tactics.
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On the other hand, phishing emails are often very dangerous. In a best-case scenario, someone will try to scam you (and even then, this is far from ideal). At worst, the criminal might try and steal your personal information.
Spam and phishing emails differ in many ways, and knowing the difference between them is important for protecting yourself.
However, you should not treat spam lightly just because it's not as dangerous as phishing, on the face of things. Take the necessary measures to keep yourself safe in both scenarios.
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