Spot and protect yourself from scams

How to spot a scam

Ask yourself the following questions. If you answer yes to any of them, there's a good chance it's a scam.

• Have you been contacted out of the blue?
  Cold calls or unexpected emails or messages should raise suspicion, especially if you’re asked to give personal or payment details. It’s very unusual for legitimate organisations to contact you and ask for sensitive information if you’re not expecting them to. If you're not 100% convinced about the identity of the caller, hang up and contact the company directly.
  
  
• Have you been asked to share personal details?
  Never share your personal details with anyone if you can't confirm they are who they say they are. Scammers will often try and get valuable personal data from you, and they can use this to steal your money, or even to steal your identity. You should also be wary of anyone who asks you to pay in an unusual way, such as through Western Union or by using Cryptocurrency.
  
  
• Are the contact details vague?
  Scam websites often have vague contact details. Remember that legitimate companies will have a place of business, phone number or email address to contact them on. Sometimes scammers also use premium rate numbers (starting ‘09’) to squeeze every penny they can out of you.
  
  
• Are you being asked to keep it secret?
  It's important you can discuss any agreements with your friends, family or advisors as outside perspectives can provide valuable voices of reason. Fraudsters use grooming techniques including isolating you so that you don't tell anyone about the situation you're in and fall deeper into the scam. Asking you to keep quiet is a way to keep you away from the advice and support you need in making a decision.
  
  
• Is the offer too good to be true?
  Scams will often promise high returns for very little financial commitment. They may even say that a deal is too good to miss. Use your common sense, if a deal seems too good to be true, it inevitably is.
  
  
• Are you being pressured to make a decision?
  Fraudsters often try to hurry your decision making. Don’t let anyone make you feel under pressure - it’s OK to take a break and think things through if you’re not sure. It's also a common technique for scammers to use a countdown timer on scam websites to pile on further pressure. Genuine companies should always give you time and space to make an informed decision - anyone who tries to rush you should not be trusted.
  
  
• Are there spelling and grammar mistakes?
  Emails or messages littered with spelling and grammar mistakes are a scam giveaway. Legitimate organisations will rarely, if ever, make spelling or grammatical mistakes in their emails to you because they’ve been put together by professionals and checked before they’re sent.
  
  

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Different types of scams

Read through our advice guides on scams to find out more about what specific scams look like, how to avoid them, how to report them and what to do if you've been scammed.

Take a look at our detailed guides for information on how to spot and avoid specific scams.

We cover a range of topics whether you're looking for specific guidance on how to spot a messaging scam, what a property scam looks like or you want to brush up on your ability to spot AI scams.

Our fraud advice guides can also walk you through the steps to take if you've had your card lost or stolen, or you have given details away to a fraudster. We also explain the steps to take if your personal data has been lost.

Which? Scam Alerts service

Which? Scam Alerts is a free service run by Which?. It's designed to help people stay informed about the latest scams and avoid falling victim to fraud.

Keep up-to-date on the latest scams in circulation by signing up for our free Scam Alerts emails and joining our Scam Action and Alerts communities. 

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Which? Scam Action and Alerts Facebook community

Join our Facebook community to help raise awareness about the latest scams and to empower us all in the constant struggle against fraudsters.

Need more help?

What to do if you've been scammed, or have come across a scam

Get your money back from a scam

Advice for what your next step should be to help you get your money back.

Report scams to warn others

Guidance on how to report different types of scams and what to do straight away.

All scam help & advice

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