It might have earned over a billion in funding, but Essential is off to a rocky start . Hundreds of customers who preordered the flashy new Essential Phone are being blasted with suspicious emails, prompting them to verify their purchase with a “photo ID.”
The sketchy email is being distributed from an address linked to Essential ( [email protected] ), but while the sender address does seem legitimate, customers are advised to ignore the message for the time being. The company has since confirmed it is investigating the matter.
Given the unusual request, it is highly likely this could be an elaborate phishing attempt.
Here is a copy of the email in question:
What is particularly concerning about this is that whoever is sending out the fishy request appears to have acquired access to the company’s customer contact list. This has led some to speculate that Essential might have suffered a breach, but the phone maker has yet to confirm this.
Users who received the email have since complained their inbox has been deluged with spam.
We’ve contacted Essential for clarification and will update this piece accordingly when we hear back. Until then… you might want to be extra careful with any emails you receive from them.