Spam vs Scam: What’s the Difference?

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Spam vs scam is a pair people often treat as the same thing, because so many suspicious messages are both. They are different ideas, though. One is about unwanted volume, and the other is about dishonest intent, and knowing which is which helps you decide what to do.

What Is the Difference Between Spam vs Scam?

The difference is intent. Spam is unwanted bulk messaging, and a scam is an attempt to cheat you. A message can be one, the other or both.

A store emailing you daily deals you never signed up for is spam, but it is not trying to defraud you. A single, well-written phone call from someone posing as your bank’s fraud team is a scam, even though it is not spam. A mass text pretending to be a delivery company is both.

Think of spam as the delivery method and a scam as the goal. Cybercriminals often use spam to reach as many people as possible, which is why the two get lumped together.

What Does Spam Mean?

Spam means unsolicited, unwanted messages sent in bulk, usually by email but also by text, social media and blog comments. Most spam is advertising, though some is political or just irrelevant noise.

The word comes from a 1970 Monty Python sketch set in a café where nearly every dish contains Spam, and a group of Vikings chant the word until it drowns out everything else. Internet users later borrowed it for repetitive messages that drown out real conversation.

As a verb, to spam means to send such messages. Email systems sort mail into spam, the unwanted messages, and ham, the wanted ones.

What Does Scam Mean?

A scam is a dishonest scheme intended to cheat people out of money, property or personal information. Scams can happen online, by phone, by text, through social media or in person.

Common examples include fake prize notifications, impersonation calls pretending to be a bank or tax office, fake investment offers, romance scams and fraudulent online shops. As a verb, to scam someone means to cheat them, and a person who has lost money this way has been scammed.

Is Spam Always a Scam?

No. A lot of spam is simply unwanted advertising, with no attempt to defraud you. But spam is a favorite tool of scammers, so unexpected messages deserve caution.

Phishing is the clearest link between the two. It is a type of scam that tries to trick you into revealing passwords or personal details, and it often arrives as spam.

Scams also exist without spam. A personal message from a fake friend, a phone call to one person or an in-person con is a scam but not spam, because it is not sent in bulk.

Is SPAM Also a Brand?

Yes. SPAM in capital letters is the canned meat made by Hormel Foods, introduced in 1937. The name is generally said to come from “spiced ham.”

The company and the internet settled on a simple split: SPAM in capitals is the food, and lowercase spam is unwanted messages. The online meaning is a joke borrowed from the Monty Python sketch, not a comment on the product itself.

How Can You Remember Which One to Use?

Ask whether the message is merely unwanted or actually trying to steal from you. Unwanted is spam, and dishonest is a scam. The memory tricks below add a few more checks.

Common Mistakes

• ✗ This email is spam, so it must be a scam.
  ✓ Spam is unwanted; a scam is meant to cheat you. Some spam is just advertising.
• ✗ A scam can only arrive by email.
  ✓ Scams can come by email, text, phone, social media or in person.
• ✗ I was spammed out of $500.
  ✓ I was scammed out of $500.
• ✗ Spam always means canned meat.
  ✓ SPAM in capitals is Hormel’s canned meat; lowercase spam usually means unwanted messages.
• ✗ Spam and phishing are the same thing.
  ✓ Phishing is a type of scam that tries to trick you into giving up information; it is often sent as spam.

Memory Tricks

• Spam spreads, scam steals. Spam goes out to many people, and a scam tries to take something from you.
• Message vs motive. Spam is about the message, and scam is about the motive.
• Does it want something from you? If it asks for money, passwords or personal details, treat it as a scam. Do not click links or share one-time codes, and report it to your email provider or local authority.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between spam and a scam?

Spam is unwanted, unsolicited bulk messages, while a scam is a dishonest scheme designed to cheat you out of money or information. Spam describes how a message is sent; a scam describes what it is trying to do.

Is spam always a scam?

No. Much spam is simply unwanted advertising, though cybercriminals also use spam to spread scams and fraud.

Is phishing spam or a scam?

Phishing is a type of scam that tries to trick you into revealing passwords or personal details. It is often delivered as spam.

Why is junk email called spam?

The name comes from a 1970 Monty Python sketch in which the word spam, taken from Hormel’s canned meat, is repeated until it drowns out everything else.

Can scams happen without spam?

Yes. Scams also happen through phone calls, personal messages, fake websites and in-person cons, with no mass mailing at all.

Conclusion

The spam vs scam question comes down to intent: spam is unwanted bulk messaging, and a scam is an attempt to cheat you. Many scams ride on spam, but not all spam is a scam. Share this with someone who mixes these up, then retake the quiz above.