FreeEmailAnalyzer

Common Security & Spam Indicators

Warning Signs to Watch For

  1. Unexpected Requests

    • Urgent password/payment requests
    • "Account verification" messages you didn't initiate
    • Requests for sensitive personal information

  2. Suspicious Sender Details

    • Slightly misspelled domains (e.g., "paypa1.com")
    • Free email services for business communications
    • Mismatched display name and email address

  3. Content Red Flags

    • Poor grammar/spelling mistakes
    • Generic greetings ("Dear Customer")
    • Threats of account closure

  4. Attachment/Link Dangers

    • Unexpected files (especially .exe, .zip, .js)
    • Links to IP addresses instead of domains
    • Hover shows different URL than displayed

Fake Sender Alerts

How to Spot Fake Senders

  1. Address Mismatches

    • "From" vs "Reply-To" don't match
    • Display name doesn't match email domain
    • Example: Shows "From: Amazon support@amaz0n.com"

  2. Domain Tricks

    • Slight misspellings (e.g., "micr0soft.com")
    • Extra characters ("apple-support.com" vs "apple.com")
    • Free email services for business communications

  3. Header Inconsistencies

    • Different domains in "Return-Path" vs "From"
    • Unverified sender authentication (no SPF/DKIM)

Protection Tips

  • Always check the full email address, not just display name
  • Hover over links to see real destinations
  • Look for verified sender badges in your email client

💡 Example Scam:

🔒 Safety Check: When in doubt, contact the company directly through their official website.

Technical Warning Signs

1. Authentication Failures

  • Missing SPF/DKIM/DMARC records
  • "Authentication-Results: fail" in headers
  • No verified sender badge in your email client

2. Routing Anomalies

  • Multiple hops through unrelated countries
  • Unusual delays between server handoffs
  • Suspicious IP addresses in Received headers

3. Header Inconsistencies

  • Future/past dates in timestamps
  • Missing or duplicate Message-ID
  • Multiple Received headers from same server

4. Content Issues

  • Mismatched content-type declarations
  • Unusual character encoding
  • Hidden tracking pixels

🔍 How to Check:

  • View email headers in your email client
  • Look for "Received:" and "Authentication-Results:" lines
  • Verify timestamps make sense

⚠️ Example Scam Sign: Email claims to be from US company but headers show routing through Russia and China

Common Spammer Tools

1. Mass Email Software Indicators

  • PHPMailer signatures in headers
  • SendGrid/Mailgun without proper authentication
  • PHP script references in technical details
  • Bulky headers with multiple X-headers

2. Spam Framework Signs

  • Open-source mailers like SwiftMailer
  • Botnet signatures in headers
  • Cloud hosting IPs for bulk sending
  • Missing standard headers like Message-ID

3. Attachment Red Flags

  • Executable files (.exe, .js, .bat)
  • Password-protected archives
  • Double extensions (e.g., "invoice.pdf.exe")
  • Macros in Office documents

🔍 How to Check:

  • View full email headers
  • Look for X-Mailer or X-PHP-Script lines
  • Verify attachments before opening

⚠️ Example Scam Tools:

🔒 Protection Tips:

  • Never enable macros in unexpected documents
  • Scan all attachments with antivirus
  • Verify sender identity before downloading

Other Danger Signs

  • No proper unsubscribe mechanism
  • Strange formatting/character sets
  • Requests to disable security features
  • "Too good to be true" offers

🔒 Safety Tip: When in doubt, contact the organization directly through their official website or phone number - never use contact details from a suspicious email.