A real detail is not a real identity
Names, logos, addresses, account numbers and personal details can be copied, faked or found elsewhere. A correct detail does not prove who contacted you.
Technology, platforms and channels
Is this a scam?
If you think something may be a scam, pause before you act. Check who is contacting you, what they want and how they want you to respond. Use a phone number, website or app you found yourself. A logo, familiar name or personal detail does not prove the contact is genuine.
Page P-001Guidance pageReviewed 29 August 2026
Key Guidance
Pause before you act. Do not judge the contact only by how convincing it looks or sounds. Ask what they want, compare it with what normally happens, and check it using contact details you found yourself.
Start with Key Guidance for the short answer. Then read the sections that match what happened and what you need to do.
Guided route 1
Something I found or received worries me
Current position: Step 1 of 4 — Check the whole situation. Read the guides in the order shown.
Understand the issue
Why this matters to you
People often ask this when a message, call, offer or request seems possible but something feels wrong. Use that doubt as a reason to pause. You do not need to prove it is a scam before you protect yourself.
One red flag is not a test
Poor spelling or urgency can be a warning, but one sign is not a reliable test. Genuine messages can be imperfect. Scams can look calm, accurate and professional.
The request reveals the purpose
Look past the story. Ask what the person wants you to share, install, move, approve or pay.
The route determines control
Stay in control of how you check. Use a phone number, account, app or website you chose yourself—not the one the sender told you to use.
Consequences and movement
What may happen next
Turn your doubt into a safe check. You do not need to accuse the sender or prove a crime before you stop.
Clarify the claim
Write one short sentence: who says they are contacting you, why they contacted you, and what they want you to do.
Find the normal process
Ask whether the real person or organisation would make this request now and use this type of contact.
Locate the deviation
Stop and check any new bank details, secret instruction, unexpected link, sudden deadline or change in how you are contacted.
Verify outside the contact
Use an app you already have, a phone number you trust, an official website you found yourself, or speak directly to the person.
Practical response
What you should do
Match your response to what happened. Ignoring a suspicious message is different from sending money, sharing a password or installing software.
- Stop the requested actionDo not click, reply, call back, install, approve or pay while the contact is unresolved.
- Preserve the evidenceSave the message, phone number, account, website address, payment details and time. Do not reply or continue the conversation.
- Choose your own routeOpen the genuine app or website yourself. Or contact the person or organisation using details you already trust.
- Ask a narrow questionAsk about the exact request or payment. Do not ask only whether the name or phone number belongs to them.
- Respond to what already happenedIf you already shared information, sent money or gave access, secure the affected account and contact your bank or service now.
- Report to the relevant serviceReport it to the service used for the contact, the organisation being copied, and the national fraud-reporting service where relevant.
Look more closely
The important question is what changed and what you are being asked to do
Do not rely on one warning sign. Compare the contact with what you expected. Ask who controls the phone number, link or app used for checking. Then decide whether the request would give away information, account access, money or something else of value.
Think about what normally happens in this relationship or process.
Spot what changed—for example, the timing, identity, request, payment details or contact method.
A professional appearance does not prove identity or permission. Confirm both through a source you found yourself, such as an official website, app or trusted phone number.
Stop using the sender's link, number or app. Check through one you chose yourself.
Pause before you send money, share information, give access or take an action that is hard to undo.
Selected history
Historical cases and lasting lessons
Authority impersonation
Scams repeatedly borrow the identity of banks, government bodies, employers, relatives and well-known services.
Lasting lesson: Recognition of the name is the start of verification, not its conclusion.
Unexpected route changes
Payment details, communication channels or security procedures are changed at the moment action is required.
Lasting lesson: Confirm the change through a route that existed before the request arrived.
Transferable understanding
Patterns over time
Scams borrow real context
Scams often use something real—such as a current event, purchase or relationship—to make the contact feel expected.
Pressure reduces route checking
Urgency, secrecy, fear or a promised reward can make you focus on acting instead of checking.
Small commitments build momentum
A harmless reply or small task can make the next request feel like a natural next step instead of a bigger risk.
Recovery can become another scam
After doubt or loss, a false investigator or recovery service may contact you and reuse the same story.
Plain-language answers
Common questions
Does bad spelling mean it is a scam?
It can be a warning, but it is not proof. Check who is contacting you, what they want and how they want you to respond.
Does perfect spelling mean it is genuine?
No. Professional writing and design can be copied or generated.
What if I cannot prove it is a scam?
You do not need proof before you stop. Leave the link, number or app they gave you and check in your own way.
What if the sender becomes angry when I check?
If someone tries to stop you checking, end the contact. A genuine request should still make sense after a check you control.
If you already acted
Contact your bank or the relevant account service at once. Save the messages and other evidence, such as screenshots, receipts and phone numbers. Report it through the national service for your country and the service used to contact you.
Scamology Insights
Follow the process instead of hunting for one giveaway
Learning resources can help you follow how a suspicious contact develops and find places where you can still stop it. Links to the apps, tools, books and courses are not included in this first version.
Guided route 1 · Step 1 of 4
Continue your route
The next guide follows directly from this one.
Continue understanding
Explore related guidance
Evidence and currency