The Growing Risk of Email Impersonation and Why Email Verification Matters
21 January 2026
Email remains the primary way businesses communicate with clients, suppliers, and colleagues. It is fast, familiar, and deeply embedded in daily operations. That is exactly why attackers continue to focus on it.
Over the past year, there has been a sharp increase in highly deceptive emails that appear to come from legitimate colleagues, trusted clients, or long-standing vendors. These are not the obvious spam messages of the past. They are carefully written, well timed, and often reference real projects or relationships. In many cases, the only thing standing between a normal business interaction and a serious security incident is proper email verification.
A Simple Example
Imagine a finance team receives an email that appears to be from a regular supplier. The email references a genuine ongoing project and explains that their bank details have changed. The tone matches previous emails, the signature looks correct, and the timing makes sense.
The only difference is the sender’s email address uses a look-alike domain with one extra character.
Without strong email verification in place, the email lands in the inbox and looks legitimate. The payment is updated, funds are transferred, and the issue is only discovered days later when the real supplier follows up.
Scenarios like this are increasingly common, and they often start with a single email that looks routine.
The New Reality of Email Threats
Modern email attacks are designed to blend in. Attackers research organisations, study email signatures, and mimic tone and formatting. Some even compromise real email accounts and use them to send messages internally or to external partners.
Common examples include:
- An email that looks like it is from a colleague asking for an urgent payment or document
- A vendor requesting a change to bank details
- A client sending what appears to be a shared document or invoice
- A senior executive asking for quick action while they are “in a meeting”
These messages rely on trust and urgency. One click, one reply, or one attachment can be enough to expose credentials, install malware, or cause financial loss.
What Email Verification Really Means
Email verification goes far beyond recognising a familiar name or email address. It combines technical controls, user awareness, and clear processes.
From a technical perspective, effective email verification includes:
- Authenticating emails so messages claiming to come from your domain actually do
- Identifying spoofed senders and impersonation attempts
- Blocking look-alike domains and display name abuse
- Scanning links and attachments before users interact with them
From a people and process perspective, it means:
- Encouraging staff to verify unusual or sensitive requests using a second channel
- Helping users recognise subtle warning signs
- Reducing pressure to act immediately without checks
Both sides matter. Technology reduces exposure, while awareness helps catch what slips through.
Why “Just Don’t Click” Isn’t Enough
Advising users not to click suspicious emails sounds simple, but it does not reflect how modern attacks work. Today’s impersonation emails are designed to look routine and credible. Many are read on mobile devices where warning signs are easier to miss.
Without strong verification controls in place, even experienced staff can be caught out. If an email appears to come from a trusted contact and passes basic filtering, it is often treated as legitimate.
The goal of email verification is to stop these messages before they reach the inbox, rather than relying on split-second decisions by users.
The Real Business Impact
When email verification is weak or missing, the consequences can be serious:
- Fraudulent payments and invoice manipulation
- Credential theft leading to wider breaches
- Malware infections that disrupt operations
- Regulatory issues if sensitive data is exposed
- Long-term reputational damage
For regulated industries, email-based incidents are frequently reviewed during audits. Being able to demonstrate effective controls is increasingly important.
Email is still essential to how businesses operate, but it remains one of the most targeted attack vectors. As impersonation emails become harder to spot, relying on basic filters or user instinct alone is no longer enough.
Email verification protects trust. It ensures that when someone receives a message claiming to be from a colleague, client, or supplier, there is confidence that it really is.
In a world where one convincing email can cause real damage, strong email verification, supported by the right expertise, is no longer optional.
How Maple Helps
Maple helps organisations strengthen email verification and reduce the risk of impersonation and phishing attacks without adding complexity for users.
We work with clients to:
- Configure and manage email authentication correctly to prevent domain spoofing
- Implement advanced email security tools that detect impersonation, malicious links, and harmful attachments
- Protect against look-alike domains and brand abuse
- Review existing email security settings and close common gaps
- Support staff awareness with practical guidance based on real attack patterns
Rather than relying on a single tool or checkbox approach, Maple focuses on layered protection that fits how your business actually works. The result is fewer malicious emails reaching inboxes, clearer processes for verifying requests, and reduced risk across the organisation.
