High riskEmail

Patient Portal Email Scam

This scam emails that you have new test results, a medical bill, or a required portal verification, linking to a fake patient-portal login that captures your health, identity, and payment details.

Quick verdict

Risk level
High risk
Scam type
Healthcare impersonation phishing
Main red flag
An email pushing you to log in to a health or patient portal via a link.
What to do first
Log in through your provider's official patient portal you normally use.

Understanding this scam

This scam emails that you have new test results, a medical bill, or a required portal verification, linking to a fake patient-portal login that captures your health, identity, and payment details.

Email scams, or phishing, remain one of the most common ways criminals steal logins, payment details, and money. A convincing message imitates a brand or contact and steers you toward a fake login page, a malicious attachment, or a fraudulent payment.

If you take one thing from this guide, make it this: An email pushing you to log in to a health or patient portal via a link. Log in through your provider's official patient portal you normally use.

If your message looks slightly different, check the Medicare Scam or the Fake Invoice Email Scam, both are close cousins of this pattern. Every related guide lives in the Email Scams guides, and the scam checker can scan the text you received.

A typical example

Example pattern, not a real report
Example pattern: 'You have new test results available. Log in to your patient portal to view them: [suspicious link]'

This is a fictional, anonymised example used to illustrate the pattern. It is not a verified real message, and any names are used only to show how the scam typically reads.

The tell here: An email pushing you to log in to a health or patient portal via a link.

What the data shows

Most reported
phishing was the most common type of cybercrime complaint reported to the FBI in 2023
Source: FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center
$12.5B
total reported internet-crime losses in the US in 2023
Source: FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center

Warning signs

  • A results, bill, or verification alert with a login link
  • A login page that is not your provider's official portal
  • Pressure to view results urgently
  • A sender that is external or slightly off
  • Requests for health, identity, or payment details

Your safest response

  • Log in through your provider's official patient portal directly
  • Verify any notice with your provider's office
  • Report the email as phishing and delete it
  • Enable two-factor authentication where available

If you have already engaged

  • If you entered your login, change it immediately from a trusted device
  • Contact your provider and monitor for misuse of your health data
  • If you entered card details, contact your bank
  • Update the password anywhere you reused it

What to avoid

  • Do not log in through portal links in emails
  • Do not share health, identity, or card details via the link
  • Do not let urgency rush you

You might also see

High risk Government & Tax

Medicare Scam

In this scam a caller or message poses as Medicare or a health insurer, offering a new card, refund, or free equipment, then asks you to confirm your Medicare or personal ID number, which is later used for fraud.

Created by Scam or Safe Editorial Team
Medium risk Email

Fake Invoice Email Scam

This scam emails an invoice or receipt for something you did not buy, hoping you call a fake 'support' number or click a link to dispute it.

Created by Scam or Safe Editorial Team
Medium risk Email

Fake Amazon Order Email

This scam emails a fake order confirmation for an expensive item, hoping you click a link or call a number to dispute a charge you never made.

Created by Scam or Safe Editorial Team

Questions people ask

Does my provider email login links to results?
Results and bills are accessed by logging in to the official patient portal directly. An email pushing you to log in via a link is a phishing sign.
Why is health data targeted?
Health and identity data are highly valuable for fraud and identity theft, and worry about results makes people click quickly.
I entered my login. What now?
Change your password from a trusted device, contact your provider, monitor for misuse of your data, and contact your bank if you shared card details.
How do I check results safely?
Open your provider's official patient portal directly, and verify any notice with the provider's office.

Last reviewed June 2026 · Written & reviewed by the

Disclaimer: This page provides educational information only to help you recognise common scam patterns. It is not legal, financial, cybersecurity, or law enforcement advice, and it does not confirm whether any specific message, company, or person is genuine or fraudulent. When in doubt, contact the official organisation directly and report concerns to your local authorities.