How to Spot a Phishing Text in Ten Seconds
Scam messages about parcels, bank alerts and unpaid tolls follow a few patterns. Learn them once and most fakes become obvious.
Wren Takahashi Security and Web Editor
Text scams work because they arrive on the same screen as messages from your bank, your courier and your friends. They rarely need to be clever; they only need you to tap before you think. A ten-second check stops almost all of them.
The three questions
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Was I expecting this?
A delivery problem for a parcel you did not order, or a toll for a road you did not use, is the most common opener.
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Is it rushing me?
Deadlines of hours, threats to close an account or fines that grow are designed to stop you checking.
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Does the link match the company?
Look at the web address, not the text. Lookalike spellings and long strings of unrelated words are a giveaway.
Never use the link to check
If a message might be real, close it and open the company's app or type its address yourself. Real problems will be waiting there too.
If you already tapped
Tapping a link alone is rarely harmful on an updated phone. The danger is what you type next. If you entered a password, change it on the real site straight away and turn on two-step sign-in. If you entered card details, call your bank using the number on the back of the card.
Report it
Most phones let you report a message as junk, which helps carriers block the sender. Then delete it, so you do not tap it by mistake later.
psst, there is a letter