Email Trust Is Broken

Email is ubiquitous – over 4 billion people worldwide use it, sending some 347 billionmessages daily. Yet email’s core protocols lack built‑in sender verification,so recipients often don’t know if an email is truly from who it claims. In practice thismeans cybercriminals easily spoof addresses and brands, fooling users into openingmalicious emails. The FBI reports that business email compromise (BEC) scams havecost companies $50 billion in losses . Even legitimate senders suffer: roughly 84% of email domains have no DMARC record, leaving inbox filters and users unableto verify sender identity . The result is a massive trust gap – people hesitateto open unfamiliar emails and many real messages get ignored or diverted to spam.

• Impersonation and Phishing: Attackers exploit this trust gap to mimiccolleagues, vendors, or executives. FBI guidance recommends verifying thesender’s address to prevent these scams . Without easy verification,users can’t tell real senders from fakes.
• Spam Filtering: Mail providers (Gmail, Outlook, etc.) are strict about unknownsenders. Emails from unverified domains often land in spam, hurting outreachand communication. When emails don’t reach the inbox, companies loseengagement – email normally returns about $36 for every $1 spent if it reachesrecipients ..
• Low Visibility: Inboxes are crowded. Without a clear trust signal, your messagecan get lost in the mix. Visual trust badges (like verified logos) are proven toimprove visibility in crowded inboxes , but only 16% of domains haveeven a basic DMARC setup.