Unfortunately, scammers sometimes misuse trusted services like WeTransfer. While we work hard to prevent abuse, it's still important to know how to recognize suspicious transfers and fake emails.
There are two different types of scams you may encounter:
- A real WeTransfer transfer containing malicious or deceptive files. The transfer genuinely comes through WeTransfer, but the sender is attempting to trick you into opening harmful files or sharing sensitive information.
- A fake email or website pretending to be WeTransfer. These phishing emails imitate our branding and may try to steal your information or direct you to fraudulent websites.
Knowing which type you're dealing with helps you decide what to do next.
A real WeTransfer transfer with malicious files
Anyone can send files through WeTransfer, including scammers. While we have measures in place to detect and prevent abuse, no platform can catch every malicious upload.
Be cautious if you notice any of these warning signs:
- You weren't expecting the transfer.
- You don't recognize the sender.
- The sender's name looks familiar, but the email address doesn't match who you know.
- The files are unusually small (for example, only a few hundred KB).
- The message claims to contain invoices, payments, contracts, tax documents, or other financial information that you weren't expecting.
- The transfer includes instructions telling you to visit another website, scan a QR code, or call a phone number.
- The files have unexpected or suspicious extensions, such as .exe, .scr, .html, or macro-enabled Office documents.
One increasingly common scam involves files claiming to be invoices, subscription renewals, payment confirmations, cryptocurrency transactions, or refunds. These often instruct you to call a phone number if you don't recognize the charge. The scam doesn't happen in the file itself—it happens when you call the number, where fraudsters attempt to convince you to install remote access software, reveal banking information, or send money.
If you're unsure:
- Contact the sender through a separate, trusted channel to verify they sent the files.
- Don't open files you weren't expecting.
- Use the Report this transfer option to let us know about suspicious transfers.
Fake WeTransfer emails and phishing websites
Some scammers don't use WeTransfer at all. Instead, they create emails or websites that look like ours in an attempt to steal your information or trick you into downloading malware.
Here are some things to check:
- Does the email look different from the WeTransfer emails you normally receive?
- Does the download button or link lead somewhere other than wetransfer.com or we.tl? If so, don't click it.
- Does the email ask you to visit another website before you can download the files?
- Does it address the sender as "someone" instead of showing a real name or email address?
- Does it mention "WeTransfer Plus"? Our subscription has not been called that for many years, so references to it are often found in phishing emails.
- Was the email sent from an address that doesn't end in @wetransfer.com? (Support replies may come from @wetransfer.zendesk.com, and some marketing emails use other verified domains.)
- Was the email sent to undisclosed recipients or someone else's email address? Genuine transfer notifications are sent directly to the recipient's email address.
If any of these checks raise concerns, don't click the links or download the files. If you're expecting a transfer, ask the sender to share it with you again or verify it through another communication channel.
How we help protect you
We actively monitor and block abuse on our platform, and we continuously improve our detection systems to reduce spam and malicious activity.
For eligible plans, downloads are also scanned for known malware before they're made available. However, no automated detection system can identify every threat, so it's always important to use caution when opening unexpected files.
What should I do if I'm unsure?
If something doesn't seem right:
- Don't rush to download or open the files.
- Verify unexpected transfers directly with the sender using a trusted contact method.
- Never trust files or emails simply because they use the WeTransfer name or branding.
- Report suspicious transfers so our team can investigate them.
When in doubt, it's always safer to verify first than to assume a transfer is legitimate.