A greeting should give you something pleasant to read, not a problem to solve. If an email or text says a card is waiting, take a moment before following its instructions. Were you expecting it? Do you know who sent it? What does it ask you to do? You do not have to decide in a hurry. These checks are a way to keep a friendly surprise friendly, whether the message claims to be a birthday card, a holiday wish or a hello.
Why Fake Greetings Exist
A card invitation gives a suspicious message a cheerful subject. Treat that subject as an invitation to check, not as proof that the message is trustworthy. A friendly name and a warm sentence should not be your reason to hand over private information.
The FBI's 2025 Internet Crime Complaint Center report puts the wider problem in perspective. Losses reported to IC3 in 2025 exceeded $20 billion. Investment-related fraud accounted for the largest share, followed by business email compromises and tech support scams. Phishing/Spoofing led the crime categories by complaint count, with 191,561 complaints. IC3 says it now averages almost 3,000 complaints each day.
Those are figures for the report's broader crime categories, not a count of fake greeting cards. For your inbox, the useful question is simpler: does this message invite you to enjoy a greeting, or pressure you to give something away? A card-shaped message deserves the same pause as any other unexpected request.
Five Signs a 'Card' Is Really Bait
The FCC's guide to unwanted calls and texts warns that scammers create a false sense of urgency. It advises against responding to texts from unknown or questionable sources or clicking their links. For calls, it says to hang up when asked for money or personal information, and identifies demands for gift-card payment as a scam. Use that caution when a supposed greeting makes demands.
- An unexpected sender. If you cannot place the person who supposedly sent the card, leave the link alone. If the name belongs to a friend but the message seems odd, ask that friend in a separate conversation whether they sent it.
- A hurry-up demand. Be cautious when a card message tells you to act immediately or lose access. Set the message aside instead of accepting its deadline. A greeting is no reason to rush a decision about your information.
- A request for money or private information. Do not provide a password, payment details or other personal information to find out what a greeting says. If the request involves buying gift cards, stop rather than following payment instructions.
- A link you are pushed to use. A link alone is not proof of a scam. The warning is an unfamiliar or questionable message insisting that you follow its link before you can find out more. Check with the sender another way first.
- An attachment or download. Do not open an unexpected attachment just because the message calls it a card. If a greeting asks you to download something before reading it, step back and confirm the invitation separately.
Use these signs as reasons to pause, not as a game of counting points. You do not need several warnings before deciding to leave a message unopened. If you are unsure, wait and ask. There is no need to prove a message is dishonest before declining its request.
What a Real Gram Looks Like
A greeting can be as simple as a page of warm words or a picture with a personal note. It can be read without logging in, paying or downloading anything. That is a useful model for a simple greeting, rather than a promise about every card service: enjoy the message without volunteering private details just to discover what it says.
Look for a message that makes sense between you and the sender. A plain introduction can help explain why someone chose a card. Still, if anything about the request worries you, ask through a conversation you already use. Keep that check separate from the questionable message instead of using the link or reply instructions it supplies.
Make Your Own Greeting Easy to Recognize
When sending a card, add a short explanation in your own voice. "This made me think of our rainy picnic" is clearer than a mysterious announcement that a surprise is waiting. Tell your friend what you are sharing, and leave out artificial deadlines. If they ask whether you sent it, answer plainly. The aim is a greeting they can approach comfortably, with room to ask a question before opening it.
If You Clicked Anyway
Pause where you are. Do not enter a password or payment information to continue, and do not accept an unexpected download. Close the questionable page and delete the message. Clicking does not oblige you to finish whatever the page asks you to do.
Tell the person whose name appeared on the message through another channel that you already use with them. Ask whether they sent the greeting, without forwarding the suspicious attachment or encouraging them to open the same link. The FBI collects internet-crime complaints through IC3; that is the complaint center named in the report above.
If you already shared private information, these simple checks are only a starting point, not a remedy for that disclosure. For the next greeting, give yourself permission to stop at any step. A friendly message can wait while you check who sent it.