Scammers Bury $1,200 Card Fraud Alerts Under 600-Email Bombs
Updated
Updated · The Washington Post · Sep 5
Scammers Bury $1,200 Card Fraud Alerts Under 600-Email Bombs
3 articles · Updated · The Washington Post · Sep 5
Summary
More than 600 emails hit one victim’s inbox after scammers used “email bombing” to hide a bank alert about a fraudulent $1,200 laptop purchase.
Automated bots submit a target’s address to hundreds of legitimate sign-up forms, flooding inboxes so victims miss fraud warnings, account-change notices or follow-up scams posing as tech support.
A bank text helped this victim catch the charge, but experts say consumers should verify alerts through official apps, statements or card numbers—not links or callback numbers in messages.
eSentire said email-bombing and impersonation attacks jumped 1,450% in 2025, with researchers warning that criminals are increasingly adapting a tactic once used mainly against businesses for consumers.
Federal law limits liability for unauthorized card charges, but protection depends on reporting quickly; experts advise treating any sudden message surge as a sign to check financial accounts immediately.