How do you know an email from your bank is actually from your bank? Or that an email from your boss isn’t from a scammer in Ukraine?
Short answer: you don’t.
Between 1 to 2% of all emails are flat-out scams, says email security company Valimail. They are unscrupulous people impersonating a company or organization or person you know, trying to get you to do something like give up your banking details, send a payment, or divulge secret information. On the surface, an email might look just fine, saying it’s from BankofAmerica.com, for instance. Actually, it’s from some random domain controlled by a hacker who is looking to siphon funds illegally from you or your company’s accounts.