How To Avoid Party Invite Scams

With graduation parties, weddings, and summer get-togethers filling up the calendar, it's perfectly normal to be receiving event invitations by email and text, especially right now. In fact, the Federal Trade Commission just issued a warning that people have been receiving unexpected “You’re invited” texts and emails from criminals pretending to be someone sharing a summer alumni event or a graduation you might want to attend. Here's what you need to know:

Here's How The scam works. You receive what looks like a normal invitation from a familiar platform like Evite or Paperless Post. The message may even list someone you know as the host. When you click to RSVP, the page asks you to sign in with your Google account, Microsoft account, or email and password before you can see the details. The moment you enter those credentials, scammers capture them and use them to access your email and potentially every other account tied to that login or to lock you out completely.

How to Spot a Fake Invitation. The thing to understand is that real invitation platforms don't require any kind of password or credentials to open an invitation or RSVP. That's not how they work. If a party invitation is asking for either first, it isn't a real party invitation.

There are several reliable warning signs worth knowing before you click anything. Start with the sender's email address; legitimate platforms like Evite and Paperless Post send from their own verified domains, not random Gmail or Yahoo addresses.

Look closely at any logos or images in the message, since fake invitations often have images that won't load, logos that appear the wrong size, or text that doesn't align properly.

Before clicking any link, hover over it first to see the actual destination URL. If it doesn't match the platform it's claiming to be from, don't click it.

On a mobile device, you can press and hold a link to preview the URL before opening it.

What to Do If You Already Clicked. If you entered your credentials on a suspicious page, the most important thing is to act quickly. Change the password on the account you signed in with, then check every service where you use that same login, particularly anything connected through Sign in with Google or Sign in with Microsoft.

Enable two-factor authentication if you haven't already, and you can report the incident at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

Keep your security software subscription up to date as well, since updated software can flag known phishing domains before you ever reach the fake login page.

Summer is a busy season for both parties and scammers. Knowing what a legitimate invitation does and doesn't ask for is the simplest way to tell the difference between the two.

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