A recent wave of phishing scams uses fake event invitations from platforms like Evite and Paperless Post to trick recipients into handing over email credentials. The Federal Trade Commission issued a consumer alert in May after reports surged. But the scams have an unintended side effect: some victims, after receiving a suspicious invite, reach out to the apparent sender to check if it was real—and end up rekindling old professional contacts.
One early victim, journalist Eric Umansky, spent months fielding messages from acquaintances who thought he had invited them to a party. After posting disclaimers on social media, he found himself reconnecting with former coworkers and friends he had not spoken to in years. A former colleague living in Mexico City even spent an hour on a Zoom call with him, most of it catching up on personal news.
Research cited in the WIRED report suggests many people avoid contacting old friends because they assume the other party is too busy or uninterested. The fake invite removes that barrier by offering a legitimate reason to reach out. Lara Aknin, a psychology professor at Simon Fraser University, notes that the scam provides "social cover" for reconnection, and some recipients may even be grateful for the opportunity.
The business angle is clear: in an era where productivity demands have eroded personal networks, a phishing email can accidentally restore them. Still, the costs are real—the FBI estimates Americans lost $21 billion to such scams in 2025. The reconnection trend, while real, is a silver lining on a very expensive problem.