ScamCatchr runs automatically once loaded. After installing, open Gmail in any Chrome tab. The extension activates immediately — no further action needed just to start scanning.
Click the ScamCatchr icon in your Chrome toolbar to open the popup, then click "Connect Gmail". Sign in with your Google account.
What this unlocks
- Full email header analysis including SPF, DKIM, and DMARC checks
- Detection of spoofed sender addresses that look legitimate in the preview
- "API verified" badge on warnings — highest confidence scam detection
- Ability to subscribe to the weekly scam digest
gmail.readonly scope and only reads the
From and Authentication-Results headers of emails you open.
No email body content is ever accessed.
If you see "Access blocked" or Error 403
The app may still be in test mode. Ask the developer to add your Gmail address as a test user in the Google Cloud Console → OAuth consent screen → Test users.
Inbox view — row badges
When browsing your inbox, ScamCatchr scans each visible email row and adds a small badge:
Hover over a badge to see a tooltip with the specific reason it was flagged.
Email view — warning banner
When you open a flagged email, a banner appears at the top of the page explaining what was detected. Click "Report phishing" in the banner to log it.
Manual report button
A 🚩 Report Phishing button appears in the top-right corner of the screen whenever you have an email open — even if ScamCatchr didn't automatically flag it. Use this whenever you spot something suspicious that the extension missed.
Popup scan button
Click the ScamCatchr icon and press "Scan Current Email" to manually re-scan the open email or re-scan all inbox rows.
| Type | What it looks like | Red flags |
|---|---|---|
| Fake delivery notification | "Your FedEx package could not be delivered" | Non-FedEx sender domain, urgency language |
| Customs / clearing fee | "Pay €2.99 to release your parcel from customs" | Payment link in email, free email provider used |
| Phishing via tracking link | "Track your shipment here" → fake login page | SPF/DKIM failure, domain mismatch |
| Freight company impersonation | Fake Maersk / MSC booking confirmation | Known freight brand in display name, wrong domain |
| Fraudulent payment request | "Invoice attached — wire payment within 24 hours" | Payment keywords, domain mismatch |
| Credential theft | "Your shipping portal password has expired — reset now" | DMARC fail, urgency language, login prompt |
Once you connect Gmail, you can subscribe to a weekly email digest from the ScamCatchr popup. The digest is sent to your connected Gmail address every Monday and contains:
- Total scam emails reported by all ScamCatchr users that week
- Breakdown by scam type with tips on how to spot each one
- Most-flagged sender domains to watch out for
- No email bodies are ever read or stored — only From and Authentication-Results headers
- Phishing reports store only the sender domain (not full address), subject, scam type, and risk level
- Your Gmail address is only stored if you subscribe to the digest, and only for that purpose
- All local data can be cleared from
chrome://extensions→ ScamCatchr → Clear data