Scam Check
Is that message, email or website genuine? Paste it in and we’ll point out the warning signs.
How do I know if a text or message is a scam?
Be suspicious of any message that rushes you, asks you to pay or move money, or asks for a password, PIN or one-time code. Other common signs are a link that doesn’t lead to the organisation’s real website, an unexpected refund, prize or delivery fee, and a “new number” claiming to be someone you know. If in doubt, don’t reply or click: contact the organisation on a number or website you already trust, and forward scam texts free to 7726.
What does the Scam Check look for?
The Scam Check looks for 24 warning signs: 12 in the wording of a message, 9 in links and 3 in UK phone numbers. It runs in your browser and does not look anything up, so it shows you the signs but cannot confirm whether a message is genuine.
In the wording of a message or email
- It puts you under time pressure
- It asks for a payment
- It asks for payment in gift cards or cryptocurrency
- It asks you to confirm log-in, card or security details
- It asks you to share a code
- It offers a prize, refund or reward
- It claims to be someone you know on a new number
- It asks you to keep it secret
- It is about a parcel you may not be expecting
- It uses a generic greeting
- It pushes you to open an attachment
- It asks you to install an app or allow remote access
In a link
- It contains a link
- It names an organisation, but the link goes to a different website
- The link is shortened, hiding where it really goes
- The web address uses look-alike characters
- The link contains an “@” sign
- The link goes to a bare number address, not a named website
- The link is not secure (http, not https)
- The address ends in a cheap ending common in scam campaigns
- The address has an unusually long chain of parts
In a UK phone number
- It is an 070 “personal number”, not a mobile
- It is a premium-rate 09 number
- It is an international number
What to do next depends on what arrived: a text message, an email or a website. If you have already clicked, paid or shared details, go straight to what to do if you clicked a scam link.
Common questions
Is it safe to paste a suspicious message into the Scam Check?
Yes. Digital Life Check’s Scam Check analyses what you paste inside your own browser. The message, email, link or phone number is not sent to Digital Life Check, saved, or included in analytics. The only things recorded are the kind of input you chose, how many warning signs were found and the overall result.
Can the Scam Check tell me for certain whether something is a scam?
No. Digital Life Check’s Scam Check points out warning signs that are common in scams, such as time pressure, requests for payment in gift cards or cryptocurrency, requests for codes or log-in details, and links that mention one organisation but lead to a different website. It cannot confirm who sent a message, and finding no obvious warning signs does not mean a message is genuine.
Does the Scam Check look links and phone numbers up in a scam database?
Not at present. Digital Life Check’s Scam Check reads the link or number itself, but no external reputation or scam-database service is connected, so nothing is looked up elsewhere, and it does not visit the website you paste. For a phone number it can tell the type of UK number, such as a mobile, an 070 personal number or an 09 premium-rate number, but not who the number belongs to.
What can I check with the Scam Check?
Digital Life Check’s Scam Check accepts four kinds of input: a text or messaging-app message, an email, a website address, or a phone number. Messages and emails are checked for warning-sign wording and for any links they contain, a website address is checked on its own, and a phone number is checked for its type. It is free and needs no account.