- Email spoofing is defined as masking the sending address to make it look like someone else is sending it rather than the sending party. It is often used to try to simulate emails from various websites in order to phish information from the user.
- Website spoofing is where a site looks like it's part of an "official" site, but is often just a slightly different address and is used to acquire username and passwords when people try to log into it. This allows the person running the site to log into the real site, such as a bank online tool, with your information and subsequently hack your account information.
- Phishing is a criminally fraudulent process of attempting to acquire, or acquiring, sensitive information, such as usernames and passwords, or other sensitive information without permission from the victim. It applies only to Internet fraud.
- Hackers can easily design dangerous content that can mimic an official site. They design it with forms and login applications. However, when you try to log in, it will record your login information, then tell you that you have an invalid username/password. The hackers then have your login information.
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There are several ways to tell if someone has spoofed your email address:
- You receive replies to emails you know you did not send.
- You receive multiple bounced emails that you know you did not send.
- Your ISP challenges you about violating its anti-spam policy.
- You receive an email from your own address that you didn't send to yourself.
