Evite Scams Are Picking Up: Here's How to Spot a Fake
Evite told users earlier this year that scammers are using its name to flood inboxes with phishing emails disguised as invitations. Punchbowl and Paperless Post host similar warnings on their own help pages. The fakes copy each platform's layout and show the name of someone in your contacts at the top. The "RSVP" button installs malware or opens a fake login page.
The familiar name on the message is what makes the scam work. Most people open an invitation from a friend without thinking, and scammers are counting on that reflex.
Click on the link and you may hand over your password, your credit card details, or access to your email. From there, the scammers send the same fake invite to everyone in your address book.
How to tell a real invitation from a fake
Check the sender's address. Real messages come only from each platform's own domain: any @evite.com address for Evite, mail@mail.punchbowl.com for Punchbowl, and paperless@email.paperlesspost.com, paperlesspost@paperlesspost.com, or paperlesspost@accounts.paperlesspost.com for Paperless Post. A friend's name attached to a Gmail or Yahoo address is a red flag.
Hover over the RSVP button before you click. Real links go to evite.com or evite.me for Evite, punchbowl.com for Punchbowl, and paperlesspost.com, pp.events, or links.paperlesspost.com for Paperless Post. If the link points somewhere else, the message is fake no matter how polished it looks.
Real invitations don't require you to log in to view them. Paperless Post and Punchbowl both say this plainly on their own help pages. A page that asks for your password before showing you the invite is a phishing site.
Real invitations also don't carry attachments. None of the three platforms send PDFs, ZIPs, or any other downloadable files. An attached "invitation" is always fake.
Confirm the message with the person whose name is on it. A quick text rules out a hacked account. If they say they didn't send it, their email may be compromised and going out to everyone they know.
Watch for sloppy details. Broken layouts, oversized logos, ALL-CAPS subject lines, and vague event descriptions like "Party" or "Save the Date" with no host or venue are common signs of a fake.
What to do if you clicked
Stop and disconnect from Wi-Fi if you think the link may have downloaded something. Then run a full scan with your antivirus software and remove anything it flags.
Change your password, starting with your email account. If you used the same password anywhere else, change those too. Turn on two-factor authentication on every account that offers it.
Forward the fake invitation to the platform being impersonated. Paperless Post accepts reports at phishing@paperlesspost.com, Punchbowl at help@punchbowl.com, and Evite handles them through its customer support page.
Report the scam to the Federal Trade Commission at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. If you entered personal information, file a separate identity theft report at IdentityTheft.gov.
Call your bank and credit card company if you typed payment details into a fake page. Ask them to flag the account, issue new cards, and reverse any unauthorized charges.
Place a fraud alert or credit freeze with Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion. A freeze blocks anyone from opening new lines of credit in your name until you lift it yourself.
Tell the friend whose name appeared on the invitation. Their email account may have been hacked and used to send the same fake invite to everyone they know.
How to tell a real invitation from a fake
Check the sender's address. Real messages come only from each platform's own domain: any @evite.com address for Evite, mail@mail.punchbowl.com for Punchbowl, and paperless@email.paperlesspost.com, paperlesspost@paperlesspost.com, or paperlesspost@accounts.paperlesspost.com for Paperless Post. A friend's name attached to a Gmail or Yahoo address is a red flag.
Hover over the RSVP button before you click. Real links go to evite.com or evite.me for Evite, punchbowl.com for Punchbowl, and paperlesspost.com, pp.events, or links.paperlesspost.com for Paperless Post. If the link points somewhere else, the message is fake no matter how polished it looks.
Real invitations don't require you to log in to view them. Paperless Post and Punchbowl both say this plainly on their own help pages. A page that asks for your password before showing you the invite is a phishing site.
Real invitations also don't carry attachments. None of the three platforms send PDFs, ZIPs, or any other downloadable files. An attached "invitation" is always fake.
Confirm the message with the person whose name is on it. A quick text rules out a hacked account. If they say they didn't send it, their email may be compromised and going out to everyone they know.
Watch for sloppy details. Broken layouts, oversized logos, ALL-CAPS subject lines, and vague event descriptions like "Party" or "Save the Date" with no host or venue are common signs of a fake.
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