What are some funny examples of spam or phishing attempts targeting email marketers?

7 Marketer opinions 2 Expert opinions 3 Technical articles 5 Resources

Summary

Spam and phishing attempts targeting email marketers often present humorous scenarios due to their poor execution, audacity, and sometimes absurd adaptations of classic scams. These attempts range from poorly written emails with grammatical errors and irrelevant content to personalized attacks leveraging professional details and vendor impersonation. A common tactic involves creating a sense of urgency to pressure recipients into acting quickly, while others offer unrealistic returns on fictitious marketing technology.

Key findings

Poor Execution: Many phishing attempts are easily identifiable due to poor grammar, spelling, and inconsistencies in sender information.
Audacity: Scammers target professionals with blatantly obvious scams, such as fake invoices and SEO service offers from unqualified individuals.
Personalization: Some attacks leverage personal details from professional profiles to appear legitimate, requiring increased vigilance.
Urgency Tactics: Creating a sense of urgency (e.g., account suspension warnings) is a common tactic to pressure recipients into acting without thinking.
Vendor Impersonation: Scammers often impersonate vendors familiar to email marketers to send fraudulent invoices and information requests.
Adapted Scams: Classic scams like the 'Nigerian Prince' are adapted to target email marketers, promising returns on fake marketing technology.

Key considerations

Verification: Always verify the sender's email address, domain, and any attached links to ensure legitimacy.
Skepticism: Maintain a healthy skepticism towards unsolicited offers and requests, especially those promising unrealistic returns or creating a sense of urgency.
Education: Stay informed about common phishing tactics and educate your team to recognize and avoid them.
Official Channels: Verify suspicious requests by contacting the company directly through official channels, such as their website or phone number.
Secure Practices: Implement secure email practices, such as using strong passwords, enabling two-factor authentication, and regularly updating security software.

What email marketers say
7Marketer opinions

Email marketers are often targeted by humorous spam and phishing attempts that range from poorly executed versions of common scams (like the Nigerian Prince) to personalized attacks leveraging professional details. These attempts often involve fake invoices, bogus conference invitations, SEO service offers from inexpert 'experts,' and prize notifications for irrelevant services. A recurring theme is the scammers' audacity and the obvious errors in grammar, spelling, and relevance that make these attempts unintentionally comical.

Key opinions

Poor Execution: Many spam/phishing attempts targeting email marketers are poorly executed, containing grammatical errors and irrelevant content.
Audacity: Scammers often display audacity by directly targeting professionals with obvious scams, like fake invoices or SEO service offers lacking expertise.
Personalization: Some phishing attempts are becoming more personalized, leveraging details from professional profiles to appear legitimate.
Urgency Tactics: A common tactic in spam and phishing attempts is creating a sense of urgency, such as account suspension warnings, to pressure recipients into acting quickly.
Vendor Impersonation: Scammers frequently impersonate vendors commonly used by email marketers, sending fake invoices or urgent requests.

Key considerations

Vigilance: Email marketers should remain vigilant and scrutinize all incoming communications, even those appearing legitimate.
Double-Check: Always double-check the sender's email address and verify any suspicious requests with the alleged sender through official channels.
Education: Educate yourself and your team about common spam/phishing tactics to better identify and avoid them.
Security: Implement robust security measures, such as spam filters and anti-virus software, to mitigate the risk of falling victim to these attacks.
Reporting: Report suspected phishing attempts to the relevant authorities (e.g., FTC) to help prevent others from falling victim.

Marketer view

Email marketer from LinkedIn shares a spam email from a self-proclaimed SEO expert offering services. However, the email was riddled with typos and basic SEO errors, proving the sender's lack of expertise and creating a comical situation.

August 2022 - LinkedIn

Marketer view

Email marketer from Neil Patel explains that one funny, but frequent, mistake is that phishing emails always have a sense of urgency. The 'act now!' or 'your account will be suspended' type emails are nearly always scams.

May 2024 - Neil Patel

Marketer view

Email marketer from EmailGeek details receiving an 'urgent invoice' spam email with an attached file that claimed to be the invoice. The file was obviously a virus, but the sender's audacity to try this on a professional was amusing.

May 2022 - EmailGeek Forums

Marketer view

Email marketer from MarketingOverCoffee describes receiving an invitation to an exclusive marketing conference, only to discover it was a thinly-veiled attempt to gather personal information and sell questionable services. The absurdity of the offer made it memorable.

January 2023 - MarketingOverCoffee Forums

Marketer view

Email marketer from Reddit shares a story about a phishing email disguised as a prize notification, where the 'prize' was a coupon for a service completely unrelated to their work, making the attempt hilariously misguided.

January 2022 - Reddit

Marketer view

Email marketer from Stack Overflow shares their experience with a phishing attempt that included personalized details from their professional profile. The attempt was almost convincing if it weren't for the obvious scam elements later in the message.

March 2023 - Stack Overflow

Marketer view

Email marketer from Twitter shares a screenshot of a phishing email that mimics a Netflix account suspension notice due to billing issues. The email's poor grammar and generic greeting made it an obvious, yet amusing, attempt.

December 2021 - Twitter

What the experts say
2Expert opinions

Experts highlight vendor impersonation and adapted 'Nigerian Prince' scams as humorous examples of spam targeting email marketers. Vendor impersonation involves fake invoices or information requests easily debunked, while the 'Nigerian Prince' scam is modified to promise large returns on fictitious marketing technology investments.

Key opinions

Vendor Impersonation: Scammers frequently impersonate vendors familiar to email marketers, sending fraudulent invoices and urgent requests.
Adapted Scams: Classic scams, like the 'Nigerian Prince,' are adapted to target email marketers with promises of returns on fake marketing technology.
Debunking Ease: Vendor impersonation attempts are often easily debunked with close inspection.

Key considerations

Vendor Verification: Always independently verify invoices and requests directly with the vendor through known contact channels.
Skepticism: Maintain skepticism towards unsolicited offers promising unrealistic returns on new technology investments.
Education: Stay updated on emerging spam and phishing tactics targeting the email marketing industry.

Expert view

Expert from Word to the Wise explains that a common, and sometimes humorous, tactic involves scammers impersonating vendors used by email marketers, sending fake invoices or urgent requests for information that are easily debunked upon closer inspection.

August 2021 - Word to the Wise

Expert view

Expert from Spamresource explains that some spam attempts mimic the classic 'Nigerian Prince' scam but are adapted for email marketers, promising huge returns for minimal investment in a 'revolutionary' marketing technology that's entirely fictitious.

October 2022 - Spamresource

What the documentation says
3Technical articles

Documentation from Google, Microsoft, and the FTC outlines several common and sometimes humorous indicators of phishing attempts. These include discrepancies between the email address and displayed name, unencrypted URLs, poor grammar/spelling, subtly altered domain names, and the use of fear tactics such as claiming an account has been flagged for suspicious activity.

Key findings

Discrepancies: Phishing emails often exhibit inconsistencies between the sender's displayed name and the actual email address.
Unencrypted URLs: The presence of unencrypted URLs (HTTP instead of HTTPS) can be a red flag.
Poor Quality: Phishing attempts frequently contain poor grammar, spelling errors, and other indicators of low quality.
Domain Manipulation: Scammers may use domain names that are slightly different from the legitimate company's domain.
Fear Tactics: Phishing emails often create a sense of urgency or fear by claiming an account is compromised or flagged for suspicious activity.

Key considerations

Verification: Always verify the sender's email address and domain to ensure legitimacy.
URL Inspection: Carefully inspect URLs before clicking, looking for HTTPS encryption and legitimate domain names.
Grammar Check: Be wary of emails with poor grammar, spelling errors, or awkward phrasing.
Skepticism: Approach emails claiming account issues or suspicious activity with a healthy dose of skepticism.
Official Channels: If in doubt, contact the company directly through official channels (website, phone number) to verify the email's authenticity.

Technical article

Documentation from Google explains that many phishing attempts are easy to spot as they contain mistakes such as using a different company name in the email address vs the visible name, having unencrypted URLs or having poor grammar and spelling.

September 2023 - Google Support

Technical article

Documentation from the FTC explains that common phishing attempts will make you believe your account has been flagged due to suspicious activity. They say this is a common tactic to get you to reveal personal or company information.

November 2024 - Federal Trade Commission

Technical article

Documentation from Microsoft explains that one way to spot a phishing email is to check the senders email. Often the email is from a domain you are familiar with or one that is a character or two off from the actual company.

September 2023 - Microsoft Support