What is an “Email Spoof”?
What is an ‘Email Spoof’?Answer: Email spoofing is email fraud and deception. The word “spoof” means “falsified”. A spoofed email is when the sender purposely alters parts of the email to masquerade as though it was authored by someone else. Commonly, the sender’s name/address and the body of the message are formatted to appear from a legitimate source, as though the email came from a bank or a newspaper or legitimate company on the Web. Sometimes, the spoofer will make the email appear to come from a private citizen somewhere. In many cases, the spoofed email is part of a phishing (con man) attack. In other cases, a spoofed email is used to dishonestly market an online service or sell you a bogus product like scareware. What Does a Spoofed Email Look Like?
