Here’s Why Scammers Make So Many Spelling Mistakes
Themba Wahlstrom
Jan 6, 20232 min read
Have you ever thought ‘Why can’t scammers spell properly?’ Well, we know why. Here's why spelling is your best defence from scammers.
We recently found an example of a scam phishing email. Running it through a common word processing software, there were grammatical and spelling errors in almost every sentence. This included obvious spelling mistakes, such as ‘feautures’ instead of ‘features’.
Take a look through your email spam folder and you will see that this is quite common. But why?
Well, the reason is actually quite simple. These spelling mistakes are there on purpose!
The Real Reason
Scammers want to avoid people who notice these kinds of mistakes, because they’ll be less likely to dupe them. And considering the amount of time scammers can spend on scamming people, this can save them lots of time.
Although unfortunate, the people who don’t immediately recognise an obvious scam are far more likely to be scammed out of their money. Scammers regard these people as more gullible, and it is their goal to find the most gullible people to scam.
In saying that, there are other theories as to why there are so many spelling mistakes in scam emails or messages. Some believe that misspelling certain words will get the email past an email service’s spam filters, which often look for particular words that a scammer is likely to use. Another theory is that emails with some spelling mistakes make them seem more ‘authentic’, as if it’s written by a common person and not a mastermind scammer. The jury’s out on that idea, but in any case, as long as you’re noticing spelling mistakes in the emails you receive, you’re already showing that you are not the target audience of the scammer.
This spam email example is riddled with grammatical and syntax errors.
Other Giveaway Signs of a Scam
There are many more ways to know if the email or message you are reading is a scam. This can vary greatly depending on the type of scam and even the country. Read these articles for more tips, where we go into more detail on specific types of scams.
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Themba Wahlstrom
Jan 6, 20232 min read
