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Got a Paperless Post invitation that asks you to sign in? Is it a scam?

VOM's answer

VOM ALREADY CHECKED IT

FALSE CLAIM 95% confidence: “Paperless Post invitations ask for your email password before you can view them”

False (checked by VOM on ): Genuine Paperless Post invitations do not ask for your email password before you can view them. Source: backgrounder.com.

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About this check

What's circulating

If an email arrived that looks like an invitation from an online invitation service, maybe from a friend's address, and the button to open it asks for your email address and password, here is what the sources say.

How the scam works

  • The FTC says scammers send unexpected messages that look like they're from well-known invitation platforms like Evite or Paperless Post, and that some messages list someone you know as the host and make you enter your email username and password to see event details; these fake invitations ask for your email login credentials or a special pass code to open them, but don't do it.
  • That's not how real invitations work, the FTC says: this is just a scammer trying to steal (or reset) your account information, and if they get in, they might take over your email account and send the same scam to your contacts.
  • Paperless Post warns that even if a message was sent from your friend's email address, they could have been hacked.
  • Paperless Post says these phishing scam attempts are created and distributed completely outside of its platform.

How to check an invitation

  • A real Paperless Post invitation link will begin with https://paperlesspost.com, https://links.paperlesspost.com, or https://pp.events/, Paperless Post says, and an invitation that is hosted on any other URL is illegitimate.
  • Paperless Post says to make sure that the URL links to paperlesspost.com, and that there is no download or login required.
  • Paperless Post says its emails will come from an official "@paperlesspost.com" address.
  • According to a local news report, Paperless Post said authentic invitations do not require a login or download to open, and official invitation emails come from paperless@email.paperlesspost.com, paperlesspost@paperlesspost.com or paperlesspost@accounts.paperlesspost.com.
  • A friend's name on the email is not enough: check the address the button opens before you type anything.

Dated: what has been reported

  • Paperless Post says it noticed an uptick in reports starting around the end of 2025, but that the number of reported scams is still very small compared to the volume of legitimate invitations sent through its platform every day.
  • In its guide, Paperless Post says that recently, there has been a reported rise in phishing scams that impersonate online invitation platforms, such as its own.
  • On May 26, 2026, the FTC wrote that it is getting reports about unexpected "You're invited" texts and emails that are actually phishing scams, and that these fake invitations ask for your email login credentials or a special pass code to open them, but don't do it.
  • Later, a local news report said the FTC had issued a consumer alert about unexpected messages impersonating well-known invitation platforms, messages that prompt recipients to enter an email address and password to view event details, and that the FTC said that is not how legitimate invitations work.
  • Paperless Post says these scams are not the result of any breach of its systems.

What to do

  • Most importantly, Paperless Post says, don't click on any links or download any files, and forward the message to phishing@paperlesspost.com so its team can investigate and follow up.
  • If you get an unexpected invitation like this, the FTC says to resist the urge to click and instead check with the host to make sure it's real.
  • Ask the host by text or a phone call you already trust, never by replying to the email.
  • Got the email? Paste its text into VOM before you open anything.

I already typed my password. What now?

  • If you think a scammer has your email account information, the FTC says to change your password to create a new, strong passphrase right away, then go to IdentityTheft.gov for specific steps to take based on other information you may have lost.
  • Change the same password anywhere else you use it, and turn on two-step sign-in.
  • If someone tells you they received an invitation "from you" that you did not create, Paperless Post says to immediately change your email account password and set up two-factor authentication.

Where to report

  • Paperless Post says it has created a dedicated reporting address, phishing@paperlesspost.com, and has partnered with the Anti-Phishing Working Group (APWG), a global nonprofit coalition that combats online scams such as phishing attacks.
  • The FTC says to forward phishing emails to the Anti-Phishing Working Group at reportphishing@apwg.org and texts to SPAM (7726), then report the phishing attempt to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

Frequently asked questions

The invitation came from a friend's address. Could it still be fake?

Yes. Paperless Post warns that even if a message was sent from your friend's email address, they could have been hacked.

Do you need to sign in to see who sent it?

Paperless Post said authentic invitations do not require a login or download to open, a local news report said. Keep the email closed and ask the person it names, using a number or a chat you already have.

Sources the search found