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Is This Email a Scam? How to Check Using AI

A suspicious email does not have to be a worry. You can use AI to double-check it in under a minute. Combine its opinion with a few simple checks of your own.

Step by step

  1. Check the sender's address. The name can say Amazon while the address behind it is something else. Look at the actual email address.
  2. Hover before you click. On a computer, rest the pointer over a link to see where it really goes. On a phone, press and hold.
  3. Beware of attachments you did not expect. Invoices, voicemail and shipping notices are common disguises.
  4. Ask AI to review it. Paste the text without personal details and ask what looks suspicious.
  5. Verify another way. Log in to the company's website directly or call the number on your card.

How to ask

  • Remove names, account numbers and addresses before you paste.
  • Paste the text and ask: "List the warning signs this email may be a scam and tell me what to check."
  • Never click links or open attachments just to test.

Check the answer, step by step

  1. Look at the sender address yourself.
  2. Go to the company site on your own. Type the address or use a bookmark.
  3. Call the number on your card or bill.
  4. Report it. Use the Report Phishing button in your mail app.

A worked example

  1. The email. "Your package could not be delivered. Confirm your address and pay a $1.99 redelivery fee within 24 hours." with a link and a sender you do not recognize.
  2. What to ask. "Here is an email I received (names removed). List the warning signs of a scam and what I should check."
  3. What good help says. It points to the urgency, the small fee that collects card details, the unfamiliar sender and the link, and tells you to check the delivery company's official site or app.
  4. What you do. Do not click. Go to the delivery company's site by typing the address, or check your order history in the store's app. Delete the email and report it as phishing.

Questions to ask yourself before you ask AI

  • Was I expecting this message?
  • Does the sender address match the real company?
  • Is it asking for money, a password, a code or personal information?
  • Is there pressure to act fast?
  • Would the company contact me this way?

What AI cannot do

  • It cannot see whether a link leads to a harmful site unless you click, which you should not do.
  • It does not know your accounts, so it cannot tell whether you really have a package coming.
  • It can be wrong in either direction, so use it as a second opinion and verify through official channels.

Make a habit

  • Pause before clicking anything that makes you feel rushed or scared.
  • Keep a note of the real phone numbers for your bank and key services.
  • Tell a family member when you get a scam so they are prepared.
  • Report scam emails with your email program's report button.

A prompt you can copy

Type this into ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini

Please review this email and tell me whether it has the typical signs of a phishing scam. Be specific about what looks suspicious and what I should do. [paste email text]

Good to know. A real company will never ask for your password, full card number or a gift card by email.

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Common questions

Should I forward suspicious emails to AI?

Paste the text only, and remove personal details. Do not upload attachments.

What do I do if it is a scam?

Mark it as spam or phishing in your email, then delete it.

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