Why this looks valid

• This email came from a known contact
• This email was sent from an actual known email account
• It is not out of the ordinary for a true friend who may lack an electronic payment account to ask for a favor

Why this is fraud

• Pay attention to sentence construction, spelling, and grammar - language mistakes are good indicators of malicious emails
• Beware of generic greetings - the email does not address the recipient by name
• If this really was someone known to the recipient, it is far more likely that they would be in touch by phone or text message, which are both likely to have a more immediate response

Additional notes

• Cyber criminals will do anything to still money, even small amounts!  Treat any request for money, no matter how small, as suspicious
• Don't be afraid to verify!  If you get an email which looks like it is from someone you know, reach out to them through phone or text and verify that they are actually the ones who sent the message
• This email is a real example of a user whose personal email account was hacked through stolen credentials.  This is a good reminder that multi-factor authentication (MFA) should be turned on for all your accounts wherever it is offered.  MFA is the best protection against unauthorized access to your personal information, including email, online shopping, and banking