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Mar 6, 2024 · With a quarter of people receiving suspicious emails every day, it’s becoming more difficult to separate genuine emails from those designed by fraudsters. Below, we detail five email scams to watch out for right now and how you can spot and avoid these emails.
Aug 17, 2022 · Beware of blackmail and sextortion emails threatening to expose your personal information. Fraudsters are sending emails claiming they’ve accessed your account and will expose your details - it’s a scam and here’s how to avoid falling for it.
5 days ago · Hackers might create these rules to forward your emails to another address. Check your social media for messages the hacker posted or sent, or for new friends you don’t recognize. If you believe someone stole your personal information, go to IdentityTheft.gov to report it and get a personalized recovery plan.
- Emails
- Text messages
- Adverts
- If you think you’ve been a victim of an online scam or fraud
- Avoid websites, emails and phone numbers that imitate government services
Forward suspicious emails to report@phishing.gov.uk.
The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) will investigate it.
Forward suspicious text messages to 7726 - it’s free.
This will report the message to your mobile phone provider.
Report scam or misleading adverts to the Advertising Standards Authority. You can report adverts found online, including in search engines, websites or on social media.
You can also:
•report scam or misleading adverts to Google if you found them in Google search results
•report to Bing if you found them in Bing search results
Contact Action Fraud if you think you’ve lost money or been hacked because of an online scam or fraud and you’re in England or Wales. You can:
•report online - either sign up for an account or continue as a ‘guest’
•call 0300 123 2040
If you’re in Scotland and you’ve lost money because of an online scam or fraud, report the crime to Police Scotland.
Some websites, emails or phone numbers look like they’re part of an official government service when they’re not, or claim to help more than they actually do. Some make you pay for things that would be free or cheaper if you used the official government service.
Search on GOV.UK to find official government services and phone numbers, for example if you want to apply to the DVLA for a driving licence.
- Check the signs of fake online shops. You can search for a company's details on GOV.UK. This will tell you if they're a registered company or not. If you’re buying something on a site you haven't used before, spend a few minutes checking it – start by finding its terms and conditions.
- Don’t click on or download anything you don’t trust. Don’t click on or download anything you don’t trust - for example, if you get an email from a company with a strange email address.
- Be careful about giving personal information away. Some scammers try to get your personal information – for example, the name of your primary school or your National Insurance number.
- Check if your details have been shared online. Sometimes your log-in details can be made publicly available when a website is hacked. This means that someone could use your details in a scam.
Take a look at our checklist of ways to spot and avoid scams (see Understanding and avoiding scams) for common warning signs that apply to email and social media sites. Other red flags include: Bizarre ‘from’ email addresses.
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Follow our top tips to spot and avoid falling for an email scam. 1. Check the sender's email address. A scam email will usually come from an unrecognisable email address. This may consist of random numbers, letters or words that have nothing to do with the organisation the scammer is impersonating.
