Free tool
Is this text a scam?
Two taps. Who does it say it is from, and what does it ask you to do. Nothing you choose or paste leaves your device.
Already clicked, paid or given a code? Start here →
1. Who does it say it is from?
Already clicked, paid or given a code?
Pick what happened. Speed matters more than blame.
Report it so it gets taken down
- Scam text: forward it to 7726, free on every UK network.
- Scam email: forward it to report@phishing.gov.uk.
- Lost money: Action Fraud (actionfraud.police.uk), or Police Scotland on 101 in Scotland.
- A call claiming to be your bank: hang up and call the bank on the number on the back of your card, or dial 159, which connects you to your bank's real fraud line.
Or paste the message and we will point out the patterns
Why two questions are enough
Scams need you to act before you think, so they all pull the same three levers: urgent, secret, pay. A deadline, a request to keep it quiet, a fee or a code. No bank, government department or courier asks for a code or a payment by message. Once you know who it claims to be and what it wants, the answer is usually certain. Where it is not, the rule is the same: check by a route the message did not give you.
Questions people ask
Is this text message a scam?
Answer two questions: who does it say it is from, and what does it ask you to do. Anything that asks for a code, a payment, a transfer, an install, or secrecy is a scam. A link or a phone number may be genuine, but you never need to use the one in the message: check by the organisation's own app, site or a number you already hold.
What do I do if I have already clicked or paid?
Call your bank straight away on the number on the back of your card (in the UK you can dial 159). Change the password on any account you entered details for, and report it: Action Fraud in the UK, the FTC and IC3 in the US, Scamwatch in Australia, the Garda in Ireland. Pick your country on the page for the exact routes.
How do I report a scam text or email?
In the UK, US and Australia you can forward scam texts to 7726. Scam emails go to report@phishing.gov.uk in the UK and reportphishing@apwg.org in the US; elsewhere, to the organisation being impersonated. If you lost money, report it to your national fraud or police route; the page lists them by country.
Does the checker store my message?
No. Everything on this page runs in your browser. Nothing you choose or paste is sent anywhere.
The habits that stop most of this before it reaches you are in the start-here guide: protect my money and accounts.