4 Phishing Email Examples Even I Could Fall For (& How to Spot Them)

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Last year, I received an email from my “bank” alerting me to suspicious activity on my account. The layout and logo matched other official communications I had received from the bank, and I was naturally alarmed.

But a few things just didn’t add up. Instead of using my name, it addressed me as “Dear valued customer.” After that, I was supposed to verify my account details, which seemed contrary to bank security advice. The brightest red flag, though, was the email address that didn’t match the bank’s domain.

Scammers have become quite smart. Tools like generative AI have made it easy for them to mimic the branding, tone, and even the writing style of legit companies.

But there are still telltale signs that help you identify a phishing attempt. Here, I’ll discuss these signs and share phishing email examples that could fool anyone.

What is a phishing email?

A phishing email is a type of online scam that tricks recipients into providing sensitive information, such as login credentials, credit card numbers, or personal identification details.

For example, here’s an email that Debbie Moran, marketing manager at RecurPost, received:

Cybercriminals design these emails to appear as if they come from legitimate sources — banks, official agencies, or well-known companies to create a sense of urgency or fear to prompt immediate action.

The scammer then uses the stolen information to commit fraud or identity theft, access the victim’s financial accounts, make unauthorized purchases, or even launch further phishing attacks against others.

The Different Types of Phishing Emails

Phishing emails come in all shapes and sizes, each designed to exploit a specific vulnerability or scenario.

Each type of phishing email exploits specific human traits, such as trust, fear, or curiosity. Here are some common types, with phishing email examples of how they might look.

Spear Phishing

Spear phishing targets specific individuals or organizations through highly personalized emails. Attackers use information collected from social media or other sources to make the message seem legitimate.

For example, here’s an email that Phan Sy Cuong, PR specialist at Awesome Motive, the parent brand of WPBeginner, received. At the time the company’s employees received this, they were working with another company for employee insurance.

While the design was professional enough to fool people, the good thing is the company had checks and balances.

“Whenever something strange pops up, we always communicate in our company channel to check if anyone’s receiving the same thing or directly with the one in charge — in this case, it was the HR manager — to ensure it’s something from our company,” says Cuong.

According to Cuong, the team always receives a heads-up if something is coming. “We were also briefed about the insurance we were in touch with before, so we acknowledged that the one in the email wasn’t correct,” Cuong says.