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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Phishing scams: If you've shared sensitive information
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’ve been tricked into sharing personal information with a scammer, you can take immediate steps to protect yourself.
| Situation | Action |
|---|---|
| You’ve provided your banking details | Contact your bank and let them know. |
| You think your account has already been hacked | You may have received messages sent from your account that you don't recognise, or you may have been locked out of your account, refer to our guidance on recovering a hacked account. |
| You received the message on a work laptop or phone | Contact your IT department and let them know. |
| You opened a link on your computer, or followed instructions to install software | Open your antivirus (AV) software if you have it, and run a full scan. Allow your antivirus software to clean up any problems it finds. |
| You've given out your password | You should change the passwords on any of your accounts which use the same password. If available, you could use a passkey instead. |
| You've lost money | Tell your bank and report it as a crime to Report Fraud (for England, Wales and Northern Ireland) or Police Scotland (for Scotland). |
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.
