A single email is all it can take — like the Connecticut home buyer who got tricked into wiring $600,000 because the message looked like it came from their real estate agent. In this video, I break down five red flags that help you tell when an email is actually a scam, even when it looks “official.” I start with the sender: don’t trust the display name. In Gmail, hover over the name to reveal the full address, and always double-check the domain matches the real company. I also show what legitimate authentication can look like in Gmail (like a blue check mark, “mailed by” info, no red banners, and sometimes a brand logo). Next, I cover the urgency trap — subject lines like “wire this now” or “immediate action required” are designed to make you act before you think. I also talk about emails that are weirdly vague or oddly specific: scammers may have real details from breaches, but no legitimate sender should ask for passwords or push you to wire money fast. I show why hovering over links matters, how tools like Aura can flag suspicious links, and when to verify the sender by going to the official site (not the contact info in the email). Finally, I share long-term protection steps like enabling 2FA and reporting scam emails to the FTC and impersonated companies.