Spam is junk email sent in bulk to unsolicited recipients. It includes chain letters, advertisements, get rich quick scams, and pornography. Almost everyone who uses email receives spam.
Phishing scams, usually a more specific type of SPAM, are typically fraudulent email messages appearing to come from legitimate sources like your bank, your Internet Service Provider, eBay, or PayPal, for example. These messages usually direct you to a fake website and ask you for private information (e.g., password, credit card, or other account updates). The perpetrators then use this private information to commit identity theft.