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I’ve been seeing a lot of scam emails lately and I figured I’d share these 5 tips on how to spot a scam.
1. Email addresses
Always check the sender’s email address. If the email is from a brand the email should end in @brandname.com For example, our Life with Pal emails are @lifewithpal.com
If the email comes from a free email service such as Gmail, Yahoo, etc. It’s a scam. Most notifiable brands use their own branded email addresses.
Also if emails end in anything aside from dot com such as dot cz or dot pl those are usually country-based emails. usually from Eastern Europe.
2. PR/Collab emails that offer free products
I know everyone wants to make it onto a PR or collaboration list. But if you are sent an email out of the blue from a top/well-known brand who wants to send you something be wary. Always read the email fully. If they offer you a free box of 10 to 12 products. It’s usually a scam.
Most of the scam emails I’ve been sent over the last few months to a year state this. They claim to send you hand-selected products.
3. Little work but big pay
Many of the scam emails lately promote little work for big pay. For instance, I saw an email that stated for every 10 posts you shared you’d be paid over $5,000 USD.
This sounds exciting but if the post doesn’t share exact requirements or if the requirements are simple tasks like an unboxing video or tagging a brand. Be suspicious.
4. Odd/ Missing logos or brand info
Many of these emails may not include a brand logo or the brand information may be incorrect. I’ve seen fake PayPal emails where they include the correct phone number but the wrong address. It’s always a safe bet to check the addresses or phone numbers listed in the emails.
In one email I was sent used an address for a freight/transportation trucking firm.
5. Check spelling and grammar
This may be common sense but always check spelling and grammar. If the email seems like it was translated into English or if there are misspellings. Other things to watch out for are sentences as well as missed punctuations.
Other suggestions
You can always do a quick search of the email address to see if it’s valid. Another suggestion would be to check out Cleantalk. They offer a free email validator. You can also reach out to the brand as well. Many have great customer service reps who will verify if the email is real.
You can also reach out to others online to see if they have encountered the email too.
I hope these tips helped. If you have any tips share them in the comments below.
