Scam texts, calls, and emails

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A young man with glasses with short black hair, wearing a checkered shirt, is resting his head on his hand and looking at a laptop screen. The background is blurred.
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What are scam texts, calls and emails (phishing)?

Scam emails (phishing), calls (vishing) and texts (smishing) are unwanted contact from criminals pretending to be someone you trust — like your bank, a delivery company, or a government department — in order to get you to share personal information, send money, or click on a harmful link.

These scams are also known as social engineering: when cyber criminals contact you directly to coerce you into doing something that compromises your security or safety.

Get help with scam texts, calls, and emails now

Read our step-by-step guides to learn about, recover from, and contain scam texts, calls, and emails.

  • Icon of a laptop with an email icon hanging from a hook, depicting a hacked email account.

    Scam emails (phishing)

    You have received an email you think may be a scam. This guide helps you spot scams and also deal with the results of you clicking or downloading content.

    Read more
  • Icon of a white telephone receiver and a black speech bubble containing a white skull.

    Scam calls (vishing)

    You have received a phone call you think may be a scam. This guide helps you spot scams and also support you if you followed the instructions by the scammer provided over the phone.

    Read more
  • Icon of a hand holding a smartphone with a speech bubble of a hook.

    Scam texts (smishing)

    You have received an text message you think may be a scam. This guide helps you spot scams and also deal with the results of you clicking or downloading content.

    Read more
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    I'm not sure what's happened, but something isn't right

    Our free helpline helps individuals and sole traders understand, contain, and recover from cyber attacks and incidents.

    Click Here
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A woman wearing a yellow shirt with white polka dots, using a headset, working on a laptop in an office setting.

Speak to an expert

Some cybercrime cases require a helping hand or further investigation. If you have spoken to our chatbot, read our guides, and still need more help with your issue, our chatbot can connect you to a real cybersecurity expert.

Seek expert help
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Contact support organizations

*Please note our volunteer helpline service is currently only available if you live in the UK or USA. We aim to get back to your request within 3 days.

Live in the UK?

If you are located in the United Kingdom, we have specific guides tailored to your region.

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Our chatbot service and guides are completely free and can be accessed wherever you are in the world.

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