What to do if you’ve shared personal information with someone you think might be a scammer.
Recognise the signs someone is trying to scam you, and learn how to check if a message you have received is genuine.
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Security Update
Reported Scams - 13m
95k Scams Removed Across 174,000 websites
New analysis of threat activity for the first quarter of this year shows anyone with access to corporate email is now on the front lines of modern cyberattacks.
The key to a solid cyber defence is knowing your enemy. It’s one of the reasons I post the industry reports on my site as they provide insight into what threat are out there so you can know how to change up your cybersecurity strategy.
How to Spot a Scam:
email, text message or phone call
Sometimes a forwarded email may not reach the phishing Gov site because it is already recognised by spam detection services. If this is the case you can take a screenshot of the email and send it to report@phishing.gov.uk
Most phone providers are part of a scheme that allows customers to report suspicious text messages for free by forwarding it to 7726. If you forward a text to 7726, your provider can investigate the origin of the text and arrange to block or ban the sender, if it’s found to be malicious.
How Phone Scams Work
Phone scammers will call you unsolicited, pretending to be from an organisation you trust, such as your bank or the police.
These scam calls may be automated, or from a real person. They may ask you for your personal information like banking details, or tell you you need to transfer money.
Report a Suspicious Phone Calls
If you’ve lost money or have been hacked as a result of responding to a phishing message, you should report it:
- In England, Wales or Northern Ireland, visit www.actionfraud.police.uk or call 0300 123 2040.
- In Scotland, report to Police Scotland by calling 101.
Report a Website You Think is a Scam
How to report a suspicious website, and what to do if you think you’ve shared personal information. Many scammers operate fake websites, which will download viruses to your computer, or are designed to steal passwords or other personal information.
The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has the power to investigate and remove scam websites. It’s free to report a suspicious website to us and it only takes a minute. By reporting suspicious websites, you can help us stop cyber criminals and protect others online.
How to report an online advert that you think is trying to scam you.
Many cyber criminals seek to trick their victims using scam adverts. You might see these adverts hosted on websites, or while using a search engine or social media.
These adverts will often look genuine. They might try to hook you in using false celebrity endorsements, or by offering goods at a discount. But the aim is often to steal money from you, or sell you goods that bear no resemblance to what was advertised.
What to do if you’ve been the victim of a scam, or you’ve been tricked into sharing info such as passwords or bank details.
Cyber criminals may contact you via email, text, phone call or via social media. They will often pretend to be someone (or an organisation) you trust.
If you have been tricked into sharing personal information with a scammer, you must take immediate action to protect yourself by calling your Bank, the police etc.