Phishing scams: how to spot and report them
How to recognise and report emails, texts, websites, adverts or phone calls that you think are trying to scam you.
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Report a scam website
Report a website you think is a scam
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.
Send us as many suspicious URLs as you like
Send us websites that feel suspicious, even if you’re not certain they’re a scam - we can check
Don’t click on any links on a suspicious website
Don’t input any personal information
If you have received a suspicious link in an email or text message but you haven’t clicked on it, report it using the following pages.
Reported an email or website? Here’s what happens next…
The NCSC will analyse the suspect email and any websites it links to. We’ll use any additional information you’ve provided to look for and monitor suspicious activity.
If we discover activity that we believe is malicious, we may:
- seek to block the address the email came from, so it can no longer send emails
- work with hosting companies to remove links to malicious websites
- raise awareness of commonly reported suspicious emails and methods used (via partners)
Whilst the NCSC is unable to inform you of the outcome of its review, we can confirm that we do act upon every message received.
Please note...
You should not report a crime to the NCSC in this way.
If you think you may have been a victim of fraud or cyber crime, and live in England, Wales or Northern Ireland, you should report this to Report Fraud at https://www.reportfraud.police.uk/ or by calling 0300 123 2040.
If you live in Scotland, you should report to Police Scotland by calling 101.
If you've shared personal information on a suspicious website
Learn how to protect yourself if you think you’ve shared personal information.
If you have 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 https://www.reportfraud.police.uk/ or call 0300 123 2040.
- In Scotland, report to Police Scotland by calling 101.
How we handle the information you send to us
- Information provided to the NCSC is protected in the same way we protect our own confidential information: It is held securely, with strictly limited access.
- We may share details with our law enforcement partners, such as the National Crime Agency and the City of London Police, to help identify investigation and mitigation opportunities.
- The information we hold is exempt from Freedom of Information requests.
For further detail on how we handle information you send us, please see our Privacy Statement.
Make yourself a harder target
Criminals use information about you that’s available online (including on social media sites) to make their phishing messages more convincing.
You can reduce the likelihood of being phished by thinking about what personal information you (and others) post about you, and by reviewing your privacy settings within your social media accounts.
