Email phishing
Lookalike web addresses and spoofed sender details can make a message appear genuine. Unexpected attachments may contain harmful files, while fake invoice emails can quietly substitute new bank details.
Plain-English help for UK households
Phishing and Scam Prevention for UK Households
That message looks like your bank, delivery company or employer. The detail you need to check is the one you can't verify in time.
Scams arrive by email, text, phone call and social media. Osborne & Davies Digital Guard helps you check suspicious messages and take practical steps if you've already clicked, replied or paid.
Pause before you tap.
Four routes into your inbox
Where Scams Arrive
Look at the whole request, not only the logo. A familiar name can be copied across every channel.
Scams travel everywhere.
SMS smishing
Fake delivery fees, missed-call alerts and bank security texts push you towards a link or a reply. Check a parcel in the retailer or courier's own app instead of following the text.
Telephone calls
Scammers may pose as your bank, a utility provider, a tax office or technical support. Caller ID can be imitated. End the call and ring back using a number you already trust.
Social media
Cloned profiles, fake marketplace listings and urgent requests from a friend's account are common patterns. Verify through a separate conversation before sending money or personal details.
Take a moment to check
Warning Signs Worth Remembering
A convincing message can still carry a dangerous request. Notice what it asks you to do next.
Slow down.
- Pressure and deadlinesClaims that your account will close or a payment will be blocked within hours are designed to stop you checking.
- Requests for codes or transfersNo genuine caller should ask you to read out a one-time code or move money to a so-called safe account.
- Details that almost matchCheck the sender address, web link and telephone number carefully. A small spelling change can point somewhere else.
- Unexpected files or changed detailsBe wary of surprise attachments, revised invoice bank details and messages that follow a real purchase.
Bank impersonation and APP fraud
Check Before You Send a Payment
Authorised push payment (APP) fraud happens when someone tricks you into making a bank transfer yourself. The payment is genuine, so stopping to verify the recipient before sending matters.
Verify first.
- Pause the transfer.Treat a new payee, changed supplier bank details or a request to move money urgently as a reason to stop and check.
- Call a number you already hold.Use the number on your bank card or in your banking app. Never rely on a number supplied in the message or by the caller.
- If money has gone, contact your bank now.Use its official app or a trusted number, explain that you may have been tricked into a transfer and ask it to act on the payment.
- Keep the evidence.Save the message, payment details, caller information and screenshots. Don't delete the conversation before you've recorded what happened.
Clicked, replied or paid?
If You Have Already Clicked, Replied or Paid
Act quickly, but take one step at a time. If you're unsure what was exposed, start by securing the account you use to reset other passwords.
Act now.
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Contain further access
Stop any additional payment. From a device you trust, change passwords for affected accounts and the recovery email account. If you entered bank details, contact your bank straight away.
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Tell the real organisation
Contact your bank, email provider or affected service using its official app, website or a number you already hold. Keep screenshots of the original message and any replies.
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Review devices and sessions
Check active sign-ins, connected devices and account recovery settings. Sign out sessions you don't recognise, remove unfamiliar access and turn on multi-factor authentication where available.
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Get support if access has changed
If someone else is using the account or you can't regain access, ask the provider for its account recovery process and get help securing your other accounts.
New tactics, familiar pressure
AI-Generated Phishing and Recruitment Fraud
Modern scam messages may have no obvious spelling mistakes. Focus on the request, the route it came through and whether you can confirm it separately.
Fake job offers
Fraudulent recruiters may ask for identity documents early or demand payment for equipment and onboarding.
Cloned voices and video calls
A familiar voice or face can be imitated. Confirm unusual requests through a second channel you choose yourself.
Details that feel personal
A message that uses your name or refers to a real purchase can still be fraudulent. Check its links and requests independently.
Patterns beat typo spotting
Urgency, secrecy, payment changes and requests for codes matter more than whether the wording reads smoothly.
Clear answers, no jargon
Phishing Questions We Hear Often
When something feels wrong, keep your next step simple.
A second check helps.
Can I ask you to check a suspicious message?
Yes. Contact Osborne & Davies Digital Guard and describe who it claims to be from, what it asks you to do and whether you clicked, replied or shared details. Don't forward anything that contains passwords, one-time codes or other sensitive information.
What if the message came from someone I know?
Their account may have been taken over or copied. Contact them using a different route, such as a phone number you already have, and check the request before sending money or sharing information.
Should I reply to a suspected scam to waste their time?
No. A reply confirms that your address or number is active and can lead to more contact. Don't engage with the sender. Use your email or phone provider's reporting controls, then block the contact.
How can I reduce scam messages reaching me?
Use spam filtering from your email and mobile providers, keep devices and browsers updated, and limit where you share personal contact details. Filtering helps, but keep checking unexpected payment and sign-in requests independently.
Local support in London and Croydon
Not Sure Whether That Message Is Genuine?
Tell us who sent it, what it asks you to do and what you've clicked or shared so far. Osborne & Davies Digital Guard can help you work through the next steps in plain English.
Pause. Check. Then act.