Journalist wakes to party invite mystery

In April, Eric Umansky, a New York-based journalist attending his nephew's bar mitzvah on Cape Cod, received emails from old acquaintances asking about a party he wasn't throwing.

Fake Paperless Post invite spreads confusion

The messages referenced a Paperless Post invite for a Special Private Dinner Party at seven pm on May two. Umansky hadn't sent it and wasn't planning any party.

FTC warns of invitation platform scams

In May, the Federal Trade Commission issued a consumer alert about scammers sending messages impersonating Evite or Paperless Post, asking victims to enter email passwords or phone numbers.

Phishing remains a persistent security threat

Phishing scams have proliferated over two decades and remain one of the biggest security risks for individuals and companies. AI has made these deceptions harder to detect.

Fake invites spark unexpected reconnections

Umansky reconnected with old friends and colleagues over lunch and text. He spent an hour on Zoom with a former coworker in Mexico City they hadn't spoken to in over a decade.

Research explains reluctance to reconnect

A two thousand twenty four study in Communications Psychology found people avoid contacting old friends because they fear rejection or awkwardness. Work demands have also reduced social time.

Scams provide low-stakes reconnection excuse

Lara Aknin, a psychology professor at Simon Fraser University, says scams give people legitimate social cover to reach out. Only thirty percent of people contact old friends even when made easy.

“people are motivated and willing to reach out to an old friend because the scam provides a legitimate excuse or social cover to do so”

Isolation trend makes reconnection harder

Nearly half the population, forty four percent, have five or fewer acquaintances. Umansky notes scammers are inadvertently helping fill a real desire for belonging and connection.

Scams still cost billions despite silver lining

While fake invites reconnect some old friends, the FBI estimates scammers tricked Americans out of twenty one billion dollars in twenty twenty five alone, aided by AI technology.