Clone Phishing and Cloning Attack: How Do Hackers Clone Email?

What Is Clone Phishing?

Clone Phishing is a cyberattack where hackers duplicate a legitimate email, replace links or attachments with malicious ones, and resend it to trick recipients into revealing sensitive information or downloading malware or a computer virus.

What Is Cloning Attack?

Cloning Attack is a cyber threat where an attacker duplicates a legitimate digital entity—such as an email, mobile device, domain name, personal information, or security credential—to deceive users, gain unauthorized access, or spread malware.

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What Does Clone Phishing Look Like?

Every day, various types of phishing attacks are happening. Here are some common ones:

• Fake Invoice Scam – You receive an email that looks identical to a past invoice from a trusted vendor, but the payment link is swapped with a fraudulent one.

• Spoofed Security Alert – A cloned email from your bank warns of “suspicious activity” and urges you to click a fake malicious link to login, stealing your credentials.

• Duplicated Work Email – An attacker copies a real company email about an upcoming meeting, but replaces the attachment with a computer virus to harm.

• Delivery Service Deception – A cloned shipping notification from FedEx or UPS contains a fake tracking link leading to a phishing site.

• Subscription Renewal Fraud – A cloned Netflix or Spotify email asks you to update payment details, but the link redirects to a hacker-controlled page.

Not sure what clone phishing is or how it works?

We already know that Clone phishing is a sneaky cyberattack, where hackers copy a legitimate email, swap its links or attachments with malicious versions, and resend it—often making it look like an “update” or “resend” from a trusted source or sender. Since the email appears authentic, so you are more likely to click, unknowingly handing over credentials, installing a virus, or exposing sensitive data.

What Are Cloning Email Addresses?

Cloning email addresses is where scammers make copies of your email accounts. Creates a new email of your existing email that appears and feels exactly like another one. However, the emails can create the new fake identity of yours. The new email may be used to create new accounts or sign in to existing accounts.

Can your email address be cloned?

How easy is it to duplicate personal emails?

Cloning personal emails is surprisingly easy and simple. Hackers don’t need access to your account and without sending phishing links or phishing threats —just basic tools to fake your sender address and trick recipients into believing it’s you.

What happens if someone clones your email?

If your email is cloned, cybercriminals can impersonate you to send phishing emails, spread malware, or scam your contacts. While they don’t have direct access to your account, their attacks can harm your reputation, compromise sensitive information, and even lead to financial loss.

How Do Hackers Clone Email Address?

Email addresses are one of the most critical pieces of data for many people. They use email to contact friends, family, and other important people. Hackers can use this data to access people’s accounts or emails illegally. There are a few ways that hackers can clone an email address. People search for hackers hire a hacker from remove their problem.

One way is to find the original email address from a public record or online source. Then, the hacker can use that data to create a new fake email address. The hacker can also steal another person’s email address by breaking into their account and stealing their login information. Finally, hackers may be able to generate fake emails using software that simulates someone’s actual handwriting.

Related: Clone A Phone Remotely Without Knowing Them

Methods of How Do Hackers Clone Email Address

Hackers use a variety of methods to clone email addresses. Such as Automatic methods, man-in-the-middle attacks, and many more. However, they are all popular techniques.

• Automatic method – This methods involve using software to generate new email addresses automatically. These programs search through public databases of email addresses. And often include data like the person’s first and last name or company name.
• Email Spoofing – Hackers change the “From” address to make emails look like they’re from you and trick the recipient into trusting the malicious message.
• Phishing Attacks – Attackers use fake login pages to get your credentials and gain access to your email account without permission.
• Man-in-the-Middle (MITM) Attacks – Cybercriminals intercept and modify your email in real time to make it look like it’s from you.
• Malware & Keyloggers – Malicious software records your keystrokes or email activity and can clone and misuse your account.
• Data Breaches & Leaks – If your email credentials are in a data breach, hackers can clone your identity and use it for scams.
• Fake Domains:
• Incorrect Grammar or Tone:

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Results of Cloning Email Addresses

Cloning email addresses is a common practice among cybercriminals. However, the results of cloning email addresses can be disastrous for the person who has their email address cloned and anyone who relies on that person’s email for communication.

Here are three examples of the consequences of cloning email addresses:

1. Fake accounts with the copied address can be created to spam other people.
2. Spamming of the copied address can lead to recipients receiving unwanted emails or advertisements.
3. Identity theft can occur if someone uses the copied address for authentication to sign up for an account with a legitimate website or company. In this type of situation, the victim is likely to experience negative consequences regarding their online security and privacy.

Related: How to Clone a Phone Without Ever Touching It

What is an example of a clone phishing email?

🔹Microsoft 365 clone phishing example:

– Subject: “Security Alert: Unusual Sign-in Activity Detected”
– Sender: security-noreply@m1crosoft.com (notice the subtle misspelling of “Microsoft”)
– Message:
“We detected an unusual sign-in attempt from an unknown device. Please verify your account to ensure security.”
– Fake link: microsoft-secure-login[.]com (not the real microsoft.com domain)

Let’s recognize How It Works:

• Attackers copy a real Microsoft 365 notification email (e.g., “Your password is expiring soon” or “Unusual login detected”).
• The email looks identical to an official Microsoft notification, with the same logos, formatting, and sender name.
• A fake link redirects to a cloned Microsoft login page where victims enter their credentials, which are then stolen.

🔹 PayPal Account clone phishing example:

– Subject: “Your PayPal Account Has Been Limited – Immediate Action Required”
– Sender: service@paypaI.com (notice the capital “I” instead of “l”)
– Message:
“We’ve noticed unusual activity on your PayPal account. For your security, please confirm your identity within 24 hours to prevent restrictions.”
– Fake link: secure-paypal[.]com (not the real paypal.com)

How Does It Work:

• Attackers duplicate a real PayPal email stating that the victim’s account is “limited” due to suspicious activity.
• The fake email has PayPal’s official branding and an urgent call to action.
• Clicking the “Verify Now” button leads to a cloned PayPal login page where credentials are stolen.

🔹 Bank Account Verification Clone Phishing example:

 –Subject: “Important: Verify Your Online Banking Account Now”
– Sender: alert@chasebank-security.com (not an official chase.com domain)
– Message: “Dear Customer, we noticed a login attempt from an unrecognized device. Please verify your account immediately to avoid restrictions.”
– Fake link: chase-banking[.]com

Let’s recognize How It Works:

• Attackers clone a bank’s official email template to send fake security warnings.
• The email includes the real bank’s name, logo, and formatting.
• The provided link directs users to a phishing page that asks for login credentials and security questions.

🔹 Dropbox Shared File Clone Phishing Example:

– Subject: “You Have a New Shared Document – View Now”
– Sender: no-reply@dropbox-files.com
– Message:
“John Smith has shared a confidential document with you via Dropbox. Click below to view it.”
– Fake link: dropbox-secure[.]com

How It Works:

• Attackers mimic Dropbox’s email format to send fake file-sharing notifications.
• Clicking on the link leads to a fake Dropbox login page that captures credentials.

Real-life clone phishing examples‍

The Twitter Bitcoin Scam (2020):

This was one of the biggest social media security breaches ever. Hackers took over high-profile Twitter accounts, including those of Elon Musk, Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos, Barack Obama, and Apple, to run a fake Bitcoin giveaway.

• Hackers used social engineering to trick Twitter employees into giving them access to internal admin tools.
• They reset passwords and bypassed two-factor authentication on verified accounts.
• Tweets were posted from these accounts saying, “Send Bitcoin to this address, and we’ll send back double!”

Office 365 Clone Phishing Attack (2020):

Attackers cloned Microsoft 365 emails that warned users of “unusual sign-in activity.” Where the email contained a button leading to a fake Microsoft login page, and the Victims entered their credentials, which were immediately stolen. Companies and employees lost sensitive business data and many accounts were compromised.

PayPal Clone Phishing Attack (2020):

Attackers sent out PayPal-branded emails warning users of “suspicious activity” on their accounts. The email contained a fake but convincing “Resolve Issue” button leading to a cloned PayPal login page. Users who entered their credentials unknowingly handed them over to hackers. Some variations also asked for credit card details.

Facebook Login Clone Phishing (2018)

Attackers duplicated Facebook’s official login page and spread it via email and Facebook Messenger. The fake site looked identical, tricking users into entering their login credentials. Hackers then used these stolen credentials to take over accounts and spread phishing messages further.

 Netflix Billing Phishing Attack (2019)

Users received fake Netflix emails claiming their subscription payment had failed. The email contained an “Update Payment” button leading to a cloned Netflix billing page. Victims unknowingly entered their credit card details, which were stolen, and the credit card details were sold on the dark web.

Tips & best practices for recognizing & defending against Clone Phishing attacks:

Many people are unaware of the cybersecurity of clone phishing attacks, hackers can run phishing attacks, read email messages, send the emails that appear like yours by phishing techniques, trick the email clients,  This means that a hacker can take your email. And they use it to access your data or even attack your computer.

To prevent phishing and keep your email safe from hackers’ cloning, follow these simple tips:

How to check fake email addresses and Domains:

• Check the Sender’s Address – Hover over or tap the sender’s name to see the full email. Try to find typing error, extra words, or weird domains (e.g, support@paypaI.com instead of support@paypal.com).
• Watch for Public Domains – Legit and brand companies don’t use Gmail accounts, Yahoo, or Outlook (e.g., amazonhelp@gmail.com = FAKE).
• Hover Over Links – Before clicking, hover over links to see the real URL. If it doesn’t match the company’s official site, it’s a trap.
• Urgent Languages – sense of urgency is important when you receive an email as “Your account will be locked in 24 hours!” Remember urgency is clone phishing red flags. This is a forms of phishing. Scammers create panic to make you click. Stay calm.

How to Keep Your Email Safe and Stop Being Spoofed by Hackers:

Use Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) –  Even if hackers steal your password, they can’t get in without your second factor. Other ways you can use Two-Factor Authentication (2FA), that also work the same.

Never Reuse security keys – One leaked password can lead to multiple account takeovers.  Always use a unique security key for every account.

Use a Reputable Email Provider – Gmail, Outlook, and enterprise-grade services have built-in anti-spoofing protection.

Stop Sharing – Most importantly, never share your login data with anyone.

Educate Your Contacts – Tell people to check sender details & verify links before trusting emails “from you.”

Remove yourself from Mailing Lists – consider removing yourself from any mailing lists or clubs if you no longer wish to receive emails.

Consider Learning – Try to learn some cybersecurity lessons. You can do it by joining any online courses, or you can read blog articles.

Conclusion

We are now a better understandable person than others, we understand about phishing and a cloning attack, and how hackers clone email addresses, we always should stay aware. Above all, keep your email address and online activity safe by using a unique and different online security key for each site and each account. And also, for email problems, you get email hackers for hire. Additionally, sign up for a password management tool, such as 1password. It helps keep your online security key safe and easy to access.