Can Someone Scam You With Just Your Email Address?It’s easier than ever for scammers to get your email address. Data breaches — which occur when criminals hack into company databases and then leak billions of emails, names, and Social Security numbers online — have increased by almost 70% in the past year [*]. Show
But is it actually dangerous if a scammer has your email address? Potentially, yes. Spam, scam, and phishing emails are more than just annoyances. As fraudsters become more sophisticated, they are able to design scam emails that you can’t help but fall for because they seem so real. According to the FBI, email scams are the most expensive type of cybercrime [*], costing Americans billions of dollars in losses. By now, it’s almost guaranteed that scammers have your email address. So what can you do to protect yourself and your family? In this guide, we’ll explain the dangers of hackers having your email address, how they get it in the first place, what you can do to avoid email scams, and ways to safeguard your inbox against fraudsters. What Can Scammers Do With Your Email Address?You probably don’t think twice about giving your email address to a social media site, online bank, or eCommerce store. But the ease with which you use and give out your email address makes it a prime target for scammers. With just your email address, scammers can:
Fraudsters know that your email address is at the core of your digital identity. Your inbox is home to everything from bills to passwords, login information, sensitive data, photos, and videos. Worse, even if you do everything you can to protect your email address from scammers, they have numerous methods for finding it. Here are some of the ways that scammers can get your email:
💡 Related: Here’s What To Do After a Data Breach → The Truth: Can Someone Steal Your Identity With Just Your Email Address?The good news is that you’re not immediately in danger of identity theft if scammers have your email address. But you're still far from being completely safe. Your email is the starting point for many identity thieves. For example, criminals can send you phishing emails to get the passwords to your email, bank, or other online accounts. Any of these accounts can offer scammers access to all of the information they need to steal your identity, including:
The 10 Worst Ways Hackers Use Your Email Against You
If hackers have your email, they can run all types of scams against you. Here are some of the worst ways that a scammer can use your email address: 1. Target you with sophisticated spear phishing emailsPhishing attacks occur when criminals send emails impersonating people or popular organizations. The goal of these emails is to try and get you to reply with sensitive information, click on malicious links, or download malware-laden attachments. Nearly 80% of people experienced a phishing attack in 2021, a 46% increase from 2020 [*]. But even more dangerous is spear phishing. While a regular phishing attack uses vague templates in the hope that you’ll click on a link, a spear phishing attack is tailored specifically to you. For example, scammers will use your name, account numbers, recent purchases, job information, or other data to trick you into giving them what they want. As more of your personal information is made available online, spear phishing becomes a greater danger. Here’s how the scam works:
How to identify (and avoid) phishing emails:
💡 Related: How To Tell If An Email is From a Scammer → 2. Find out more information about you to run social engineering attacksYour email address is linked to almost every online account you’ve created, comments you’ve posted, and information you’ve shared. With just your email address, hackers can learn enough about you to run sophisticated social engineering attacks. Social engineering refers to “human hacking” — a tactic in which criminals use psychology to create a sense of fear or excitement to steal your identity or commit fraud. Cybersecurity experts say 98% of cybercriminals use social engineering techniques to manipulate unknowing victims [*]. Here’s how the scam works:
How to identify (and avoid) social engineering attacks:
💯 Pro tip: Slow down when engaging with strangers online. Scammers will often try to force you into acting on the spot so you don’t have time to identify their schemes. 3. “Spoof” your email and impersonate youScammers “spoof” email addresses (i.e., hide their true identity) to bypass spam filters and trick you into thinking the sender is someone they’re not. But scammers can also spoof your email address to scam your friends, family, and colleagues. For example, scammers often target companies with Business Email Compromise (BEC). In these scams, they’ll contact your employer pretending to be you and ask for sensitive information, logins, or money. Most people don't double-check the headers or “from” addresses of the emails they receive. This means the target won’t spot the mistake and will think the email is actually from you. Here’s how the scam works:
How to prevent email spoofing attacks:Email spoofing occurs because some email servers don’t have ways to authenticate a sender before a message is delivered. Attackers look for weak servers to send spoofed emails. A lack of authentication makes it easier for spam to pass through. As a result, spoofing attacks are hard to stop. However, there are ways you can prevent them:
💡 Related: How To Protect Your Personal Information on Social Media → 4. Access your email and take over your other accountsOne of the major risks of scammers having your email address is that they’ll use it to hack into your other online accounts. With your email address, they can request password resets, try entering your other passwords that have been leaked online, and even break into your email account. Here’s how the scam works:
How to protect your email and other online accounts:
5. Find more information about you from leaks in data breachesWith the increase in major data breaches occurring in recent years, there’s no doubt that your personal information has been compromised. Scammers use your email address to search through data breach information on the Dark Web to see what other information they can find about you. Using your email address, scammers can potentially find:
Here’s how the scam works:
How to protect yourself from data breaches:
Protect your identity, finances, and devices with Aura. Aura offers a proactive all-in-one digital security solution that monitors and protects your online accounts, financial accounts, and devices against scammers. Start a free 14-day trial of Aura today → 6. Scam your friends, family, and contactsScammers may even “spoof” your email address to scam your friends, family, and colleagues. They’ll impersonate you and request money, access to documents and networks, or sensitive information. Here’s how the scam works:
How to avoid scammers targeting your contacts:
💡 Related: How to Recover After Your Identity Is Stolen (2022 Guide) → 7. Find your financial information and steal your moneyScammers can use your email to run phishing scams or hack into your bank accounts and steal your money. Recently released data from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) found that consumers lost more than $5.8 billion in 2021 to fraud [*]. Here’s how the scam works:
How to protect your financial information:
8. Blackmail you with sensitive information or photosScammers may also use your email address to find sensitive information or photos that you don’t want people to see. They use this to blackmail you into sending them money or giving them even more sensitive information. This has happened in many celebrity email hacks when private photos of celebrities and embarrassing emails from major studios were leaked. Here’s how the scam works:
How to identify and avoid online blackmail:
💡 Related: How To Prevent Phishing Attacks [15 Easy Tips] → 9. Steal your identityIn many cases, scammers can use your email address to find enough information about you to steal your identity.
How to identify and prevent identity theft:
💡 Related: How To Know If Your Identity Has Been Stolen → 10. Gain access to your company’s email and scam your colleaguesIn a worst case scenario, fraudsters hack into both your personal and business email. If this happens, they can access your corporate network and destroy your professional image. This type of cyberattack is known as Business Email Compromise (BEC). According to Verizon’s 2021 Data Breach Investigation Report (DBIR), BEC is the second-most common type of social engineering attack [*]. Here’s how the scam works:There are many different types of BEC including email impersonation, spoofing, and account takeovers. But in general, BEC scams work like this:
How to identify and avoid BEC scams:
Does a Scammer Have Your Email Address? Here’s What To Do
How To Protect Your Inbox From Scammers and SpammersIt’s become second nature to share our email addresses with people, businesses, and organizations. But if your email address ends up in the wrong hands, you could easily become a victim of identity theft, account takeovers, or financial fraud. Here are some ways to protect your inbox from bad actors: Be selective about whom you give your email address to
Use a different (and private) email account for family and sensitive accounts
Update your email passwords so that they are unique, complex, and secure
Enable 2FA on all your accounts
Never click on links or download attachments
Consider signing up for an all-in-one digital security serviceWith Aura, you get:
The Bottom Line: Keep Your Email Safe From ScammersYour email address is the key to your digital life. Keep it safe and secure — and be cautious of any suspicious emails you receive. If you accidentally gave out your email address, Aura can help you set up identity theft and credit protection, and scan the web for misuse. If a scammer tries to take over your account, open new credit cards in your name, or hack your devices with malware, Aura will alert you and help you shut them down. Sign up for identity theft, credit protection with Aura and save up to 50% →What can someone do with just your email address?With just your email address, scammers can:. Target you with sophisticated phishing emails.. Find more sensitive information about you — including where you live.. Attempt to hack into your other online accounts.. Impersonate you and scam your friends and family.. Steal your identity and commit financial fraud.. Can someone hack you with just an email address?“Most consumers have one email account they use for everything: emailing their doctor, receiving alerts from their financial institution, or possibly [conducting] large financial transactions, such as buying or selling a home,” Dudley says. Hackers can use your email address to send phishing email attacks and acquire ...
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