What is email spoofing?
Email spoofing is the act of misleading an email recipient about the origin of that email - it may look like it's coming from a familiar sender or domain, but it's actually coming from somewhere else. The two most common email spoofing techniques are:
- Changing the From: name in an email to trick the recipient into thinking the email comes from someone other than who really sent it.
- Sending emails from a domain that looks similar to a legitimate sender's domain.
For instance, you might get an email that looks like it's from "John Smith (j.smith@coolexample.com)", but the header From line actually says "j.smith@coolexarnple.com".
How to spot email spoofing and what to do about it
Spoof emails often:
- ask you to follow a link and/or respond with sensitive information
- make things seem like an emergency or a time sensitive situation
If you suspect email spoofing, immediately read the email's header to confirm what domain sent the email. Look for From:, X-Sender: or Reply-to: in the header for the best information. For more on how to view this info, see What are email headers?
If you receive an email that you think is spoofed or fake, reach out to the sender by another means. Don't reply to the suspicious email sent to you. Instead, contact the sender at a pre-existing contact point you already have, like a known good phone number or email address.
If you believe someone is sending emails pretending to be you, follow the steps below to report email spoofing to the GoDaddy Digital Crimes Unit.
Report email spoofing to GoDaddy
If you've got a copy of an email sent by someone pretending to be you, follow these steps to report it to the GoDaddy Digital Crimes Unit. You'll need this information:
- The URL or FROM: address
- The full, complete email headers
- The full content of the email
Note: Providing this information allows us to review and take action if applicable so make sure you are providing it in full.
- Go to https://supportcenter.godaddy.com/AbuseReport.
- Select Spam and then select I received unsolicited email.
- Click Get Started and follow the prompts to complete the form.
Related steps
- If you believe someone is sending emails pretending to be you, in addition to reporting the incident consider adding an SPF record to your domain DNS. This is not the ultimate solution but can help.
