About Is This Real?

Is This Real? is an independent project that builds free, private tools to help people tell a legitimate official letter, notice, or bill from a scam or an abusive one. We are not a law firm, not a government agency, and not affiliated with any of the agencies referenced on this site.

Why this exists

Scam and AI-generated letters, texts, and emails are designed to scare you into paying or reacting before you can think. A fast, private second opinion helps you slow down and check what you actually received — an IRS notice, a debt-collection letter, a court summons, an eviction notice, a fake invoice, a job offer, or a DMCA / copyright takedown — before you pay anyone or panic.

How the check works

You paste the text of the document (or upload a photo). The checker compares it against the elements a genuine version of that document should contain and the red flags that mark a scam or abuse for that specific type — for example, the required FDCPA elements of a real debt-collection letter, or the §512 elements of a valid DMCA notice. Where a sender email or link is present, it also checks the sender's domain for free-mail impersonation, lookalikes, and suspiciously new domains. It then returns a plain-language read — legitimate, questionable, or likely scam — with the missing elements, the red flags, and suggested next steps.

The analysis is AI-assisted and built on the criteria published by the official sources listed below. It is a triage signal to help you decide what to verify next — not a verdict, and not legal, tax, or financial advice.

What it can't do

• It can be wrong in both directions — always confirm anything important with the official source or a qualified professional.
• It doesn't access your accounts, court records, or any agency's systems; it reads only what you paste.
• It can't give legal advice or tell you what to do in your specific case.
• For anything affecting your money, rights, or housing, talk to a qualified professional or your local legal aid.

Privacy

Nothing you paste or upload is stored. Each check is analyzed in the moment and discarded. The only outside lookup is a sender's email domain against a public registry, when the document shows one.

Official sources we rely on

Our guidance is compiled from these official U.S. government sources. They are the authoritative place to verify your specific situation:

• IRS — Tax Scams / Consumer Alerts
• IRS — Report Phishing
• TIGTA — report IRS impersonation
• FTC Consumer Advice — Scams
• U.S. Copyright Office
• USPTO — Trademarks
• U.S. Courts — Types of cases
• HUD — Tenant Rights
• USA.gov — Housing help
• FBI IC3
• FTC — Job Scams
• CFPB — Debt Collection
• CFPB — Regulation F (FDCPA)
• FTC — Debt Collection FAQs
• U.S. Copyright Office — DMCA §512

Contact & corrections

This is a living resource and laws change. If you spot something out of date or wrong, or have a question, email [email protected] — we want to fix it. Each page shows when it was last reviewed.

Last updated 2026-06-24.