OptMsg pitches opt-in email as a phishing fix

OptMsg used Cybersecurity Awareness Month to promote a private, opt-in email service that blocks unapproved senders before they reach the inbox. The push comes as phishing remains the most-reported cybercrime in the FBI’s latest report and older Americans account for the biggest reported losses.

Why it matters: - Phishing was the most-reported cybercrime in the U.S. last year, making email a front line for everyday fraud. - The FBI’s 2025 Internet Crime Report counted 191,561 phishing complaints, more than any other crime. - Americans age 60 and over reported $7.7 billion in losses, more than any other age group. - OptMsg is pitching a different model: stop scams before they land in the inbox, instead of asking users to spot every fake.

What happened: - OptMsg launched a Cybersecurity Awareness Month push for its opt-in email service and released a free checklist called Lock Down Your Inbox. - The company says the checklist explains how families can reduce email scams in plain language. - OptMsg says only approved senders can reach a user’s inbox, and all other messages are routed to Trash. - New users can forward an existing email account to a new @optmsg.com address and move at their own pace. - OptMsg works on the web, iPhone and Android.

The details: - OptMsg says its system is built around three principles: Simple, Private and Secure. - Users can add a new sender quickly without complicated settings or spam-filter tuning. - Messages from unapproved senders stay in Trash and are deleted after 30 days, unless a user reviews them first. - OptMsg uses Community Recommendations to surface potentially important messages from senders a user has not approved. - The company says it does not read emails to target advertising. - OptMsg says personal information is not collected and sold to advertisers. - Messages between OptMsg users are encrypted. - OptMsg uses passkeys instead of traditional passwords. - Users can sign in with facial recognition, fingerprints or a device PIN. - The service is designed to remove the password credential that criminals often try to steal through phishing and data breaches. - The company says the inbox model also reduces spam and the need to click unsubscribe links. - Lock Down Your Inbox includes 10 steps, fits on one page and is written to share with parents and grandparents. - Five of the 10 steps are built into OptMsg from the start, including choosing who can reach the inbox. - The checklist includes common advice such as checking for data breaches and turning on two-step sign-in. - OptMsg is a private, opt-in email service from Michigan. - OptMsg was co-founded by Ryan LaMirand and Matt Dobbie. - OptMsg is accredited by the Better Business Bureau with an A+ rating. - The company’s website is optmsg.com.

Between the lines: - OptMsg is challenging the standard phishing playbook, which depends on users detecting suspicious messages after they arrive. - The pitch leans on prevention by default, using sender approval as the first security layer. - The service also frames privacy as part of security, not a separate feature. - By bundling passkeys, encrypted user-to-user mail and sender whitelisting, OptMsg is trying to remove several common attack paths at once.

What’s next: - OptMsg is encouraging new users to move gradually from existing email accounts to its service. - The company is using the checklist to target families, including older adults who face the biggest reported phishing losses. - OptMsg is positioning the service as a consumer-friendly alternative to spam filters and post-hoc scam detection.

The bottom line: - OptMsg is betting that email security works better when strangers are blocked from the inbox before a user ever has to judge the message.