Lures written with AI read smoothly and match a person's style, so spelling and grammar no longer separate real from fake.
How to spot it
Perfect, friendly writing on a request that breaks the normal process
A sender address or chat account that is not the person's usual one
Secrecy, gift cards or new bank details
What to do
Ignore how polished it reads. Check the sender's real address or account and whether the request follows the normal process.
What the real thing looks like
A well-written notice from a known vendor's real domain that asks you to sign in yourself
A routine message from a coworker's internal chat account
Try an example
A practice example with fictional companies. Answer it, then see the tells.
Is this email a scam or legit?
Inbox
FromFrom: Northwind Medical SupplySender address: accounts@northwind-remit.example
Tome
Updated remittance details for your account
Good morning,
Thank you for your continued partnership. As part of our move to a new banking partner, we have updated our remittance details. Please use the attached account information for all payments from today onward.
To avoid any interruption to your standing orders, kindly confirm once the change is made. We appreciate your help with this transition.