Protecting Our Heroes: What You Need to Know About the Punchbowl Phishing Scam

Over the past several days, a wave of fake digital party invitations has swept through our Heroic Youth community. These emails impersonate Punchbowl, a legitimate digital invitation service, and they are designed to steal your email credentials and spread to everyone in your contact list. Many of our youth have received 10 or more of these fake invitations from other youth within our organization, and unfortunately, a number of our members have already fallen victim.

This post explains what's happening, how to recognize the scam, what to do if you've already been affected, and how to stay safer online going forward.

What Is This Scam?

Cybercriminals are sending emails that look like party invitations from Punchbowl. The emails often reference an Easter celebration or similar event and include a link to "view the invitation" or "RSVP." Some even suggest you open the link on a desktop or laptop for the "best experience" — this is actually because the malware they use is designed for computers rather than phones.

What makes this scam especially effective is that the emails come from the real email addresses of people you know — friends, family, fellow youth in our org. That's because once someone falls for the scam and enters their password, the attackers gain access to that person's email account and send the fake invitation to every contact in their address book. The cycle then repeats with each new victim.

This is not a new scam — it has been circulating widely since late 2024 — but it has surged again in early 2026 and has hit our community particularly hard in recent weeks.

How to Recognize a Fake Punchbowl Invitation

Here are the key warning signs:

The sender's address is a personal email, not the official Punchbowl address. Legitimate Punchbowl invitations always come from mail@mail.punchbowl.com, not from someone's Gmail, Yahoo, or other personal email.
You weren't expecting an invitation from the person who sent it.
The email suggests opening it on a desktop or laptop. Real invitation services don't make requests like this — it's a trick to get the malware onto a full computer rather than a phone.
The link doesn't go to punchbowl.com. If you hover your mouse over the link (without clicking), you can see where it actually leads. Real Punchbowl links always start with https://www.punchbowl.com. If it goes somewhere else, it's a scam.
You're asked to log in to view the invitation. The fake link often takes you to a page that looks like a Google, Microsoft, Yahoo, or AOL login screen and asks for your email and password. A real Punchbowl invitation does not require you to enter your email password.

The golden rule: If you receive an unexpected invitation or message from someone — even someone you know and trust — and it asks you to click a link, contact them by text or phone call first to verify they actually sent it. Don't reply by email, because their email may be the thing that's been compromised.

I Didn't Click the Link — What Should I Do?

If you received the email but did NOT click the link, you're in good shape. Simply delete the email. You may also want to mark it as spam so your email provider can filter similar messages in the future. No further action is needed.

You may also want to let the person whose name is on the email know (by text or phone call, not email) that their email account may have been compromised, in case they aren't aware.

I Clicked the Link — What Should I Do?

If you clicked the link, your next steps depend on what happened after you clicked.

If you clicked the link but did NOT enter your password:

Your risk is lower, but some phishing links can install malware automatically just by visiting the page. Take these precautions:

Check your Downloads folder for any files you didn't intentionally download. If you see anything unfamiliar, don't open it — delete it.
Run a malware scan on your computer (see the "Scanning for Malware" section below).
Keep an eye on your accounts for any unusual activity over the next few weeks.

If you clicked the link AND entered your email and password:

Your email account credentials are almost certainly compromised. Act quickly — the attackers typically begin using stolen credentials within minutes. Here's what to do:

Step 1: Change Your Email Password Immediately

If possible, do this from a different device than the one you used to click the link (for example, use your phone if you clicked the link on your computer). Log in to your email account and change your password to something new and strong — at least 12 characters, using a mix of upper and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols.

If you can't log in because the attacker has already changed your password, use your email provider's account recovery process immediately. For Gmail, go to accounts.google.com/signin/recovery. For Outlook/Hotmail, go to account.live.com/password/reset. For Yahoo, go to login.yahoo.com and click "Forgot password."

Step 2: Turn On Two-Factor Authentication (2FA/MFA)

Once you've regained control of your account, enable two-factor authentication (also called multi-factor authentication). This means that even if someone has your password, they can't log in without a second verification step — usually a code sent to your phone. Most major email providers support this. Look for it in your account's security settings.

Step 3: Check for Email Forwarding Rules

Attackers sometimes set up forwarding rules so that copies of all your incoming email get sent to their address — even after you change your password. Check your email settings and look for any forwarding rules or filters you didn't create. Remove anything you don't recognize.

Gmail: Go to Settings (gear icon) → See all settings → Forwarding and POP/IMAP. Make sure "Disable forwarding" is selected, or that any forwarding address listed is one you set up yourself. Also check Settings → Filters and Blocked Addresses for any rules you didn't create.
Outlook/Hotmail: Go to Settings (gear icon) → View all Outlook settings → Mail → Forwarding. Make sure forwarding is turned off or pointed only where you intend.
Yahoo Mail: Go to Settings (gear icon) → More Settings → Mailboxes → select your account → check the Forwarding section.

Step 4: Check What Other Accounts Use the Same Password

This is a critical step that many people miss. If you used the same password for your email as you did for other websites (social media, online shopping, gaming accounts, school accounts, etc.), those accounts are now at risk too. Attackers routinely try stolen passwords on other popular services.

Go through your accounts and change the password on any site where you were using the same password as your email. Going forward, use a unique password for every account.

A password manager can make this much easier. Password managers like Bitwarden (free) or 1Password (paid, with a free family trial) can store all your passwords securely, generate strong unique passwords, and even check whether any of your passwords have appeared in known data breaches. If your passwords were saved in your web browser (like Chrome), you can export them and import them into a password manager to see which sites were using the same password and need to be updated.

Step 5: Let Your Contacts Know

Send a text message or make a phone call to close friends and family letting them know that your email was compromised and that they should ignore any Punchbowl invitations that came from your address. Don't use your compromised email to send this warning — that could confuse things further.

Step 6: Scan Your Computer for Malware

The Punchbowl scam has been known to install remote access tools and other malware in addition to stealing passwords. Even if you only entered your password, it's a good idea to scan your computer. See the next section for how.

Scanning Your Computer for Malware

Several reputable, free tools can scan your computer for malware:

Malwarebytes Free (malwarebytes.com) — One of the most trusted names in malware removal. Download it, install it, and run a full scan. It works on Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS. The free version provides on-demand scanning (you run it manually), which is all you need for this situation.
Microsoft's Built-in Tools — If you're on Windows 10 or 11, you already have Windows Security (also known as Windows Defender) built in. Open it from your Start menu, go to Virus & Threat Protection, and run a Full Scan. Microsoft also offers the Malicious Software Removal Tool (MSRT), which can be downloaded from Microsoft's website for an additional check.
ESET Online Scanner (eset.com/us/home/online-scanner/) — A free one-time scanner that runs from your web browser. Good for a quick second opinion.

We recommend running at least one full scan with a dedicated tool like Malwarebytes in addition to whatever protection your computer already has. If the scan finds anything, follow the tool's instructions to quarantine or remove the threats.

NOTE: If you're on a Chromebook, your device is naturally more resistant to malware and you likely don't need to run a separate scan. However, the account security steps above (changing passwords, checking forwarding rules, enabling two-factor authentication) are still critical — those protect your account, not your device.

Staying Safe Going Forward

This scam is a great reminder that we all need to be careful online. Here are some habits that will protect you and your family from phishing attacks — not just this one, but future ones too:

Verify before you click. When you receive an unexpected email with a link — even from someone you know — reach out to that person through a different channel (text, phone call, or in person) to confirm they sent it. This single habit can prevent the vast majority of phishing attacks.

Never enter your password after clicking a link in an email. If an email asks you to log in to a service, close the email and go to that service directly by typing the web address into your browser. This way you know you're on the real website.

Use unique passwords for every account. If one password gets stolen, unique passwords ensure the damage doesn't spread to your other accounts. A password manager makes this practical.

Enable two-factor authentication everywhere you can. This is the single most effective thing you can do to protect your accounts. Even if an attacker has your password, they can't get in without the second factor.

Keep your software updated. Operating system and browser updates frequently include security patches that protect you from the latest threats. Turn on automatic updates if you haven't already.

When in doubt, don't click. It's always better to be cautious and verify than to click and regret it later.

Helpful Resources

Here are some trusted resources for learning more about staying safe online and recovering from phishing attacks:

For learning about phishing and online safety:

CISA: Recognize and Report Phishing — A clear, beginner-friendly guide from the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency on how to spot and avoid phishing scams. https://www.cisa.gov/secure-our-world/recognize-and-report-phishing
CISA: Shields Up — Guidance for Families — Four simple steps every family can take to improve online safety, from the same government cybersecurity agency. https://www.cisa.gov/shields-guidance-families

For cleaning up after a phishing attack:

Punchbowl Help Center: How to Know if an Invitation Is Real — Punchbowl's own guidance on identifying fake invitations and what to do if your account was used to send them. https://help.punchbowl.com/article/808-how-do-i-know-if-the-punchbowl-invitation-or-card-i-received-is-real-or-spam
Malwarebytes Free Scanner — Download a free malware scanner to check your computer for infections. https://www.malwarebytes.com/mwb-download

A Final Word

In Heroic Youth, we teach our heroes to Stay at Your Post and Perform with Exactness. Those principles apply to digital life just as much as they do on the field. Staying vigilant, being careful with our clicks, and taking the time to verify before we act — these are the habits of a hero, online and off.

If you have any questions or need help, don't hesitate to reach out to us. We're here for you.

Stay safe, heroes.