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Step-by-step guides · security

How to spot a fraudulent text, WhatsApp or email

Learn to recognise fake messages, check a notice without opening its links, and act fast if you already clicked.

Ibrahin · Published on 2 September 2026 · 4 min read

Text drafted with artificial intelligence. The topic, the angle and the final review are Ibrahin's. How AI is used here

Someone cautiously examining a suspicious message on their phone
Illustration, not a real screenshot.

What has happened

Fraudulent messages copy the name, colours and tone of well-known companies: your bank, a courier, the tax office. The name you see on screen doesn't prove who sent it, and sometimes they come from the real account of someone you know that has already been hacked.

In Spain, since 15 September 2026, mobile operators must block texts that show a company or public body name not entered in the CNMC's alias register. It helps, but it only covers messages that show a name instead of a number, and only texts (SMS, MMS and RCS): not WhatsApp or email. Still don't trust the name you see.

Here's a typical one:

Made-up example

+44 7XXX XXXXXX 1

Yesterday, 19:42

NORTH COURIER: your parcel is held at customs. Pay £1.79 TODAY or it will be returned. 2

north-courier-customs.info/pay 3

  1. A mobile number, not the company. A delivery company doesn't usually text you from a personal mobile number. And the name you see inside the message can be faked.
  2. Urgency and a small amount. £1.79 looks like nothing, which is why people pay without thinking. They're not after that money: they want your card number.
  3. The address isn't the company's. The owner of the link is the end of the part before the first slash. Here it's north-courier-customs.info, which isn't the company: compare it with the address in its app or your bookmark.
Example message created for this guide. Neither the sender nor the company exists.

What to do

Don't tap the link. Go to the official website yourself by typing the address, and check there whether the notice exists.

Why it matters to you

They want you to act before you think: “your account closes today”, “pay £1.79 or we return the parcel”, “send me the code you just got”. The small amount isn't what they're after: they want your card number or the code that opens your account.

What you can do

1. Check outside the message

Don't use the link or number in the message to check it. Open the official app, use a bookmark you already had or type the address yourself. If the notice isn't there, treat it as fake.

2. Read the link's address properly

If the link starts with “https://” or “http://”, skip that part and look at everything up to the first slash “/” (or the first “?” or “#”, if one comes earlier). The owner of the page is at the end of that stretch, not the beginning. In “northcourier.co.uk.parcel-held-customs.info/pay”, the owner is “parcel-held-customs.info”: the “northcourier.co.uk” in front is just a disguise.

Some endings have two parts, like “.co.uk” or “.gov.uk”. In “www.ncsc.gov.uk”, the owner is “ncsc.gov.uk”, the UK's National Cyber Security Centre.

Even so, reading the link isn't enough: a page with the right logo can also be fake. Never enter your password to “check” a notice.

3. Codes are never shared with anyone

The codes you get by text prove it's you. If anyone asks for one by phone or message, even claiming to be from the bank or tech support, hang up and go into the service yourself.

4. If it looks like someone you know, confirm another way

Call the number you already had or ask them in person. Don't reply to the same message: if their account is in someone else's hands, the scammer will answer.

5. If you already tapped

  • Don't fill in or download anything else. Close the page.
  • If you entered a password, change it from a safe device, including wherever you reused it.
  • If you gave bank details, call your bank through its official channel.
  • Check open sessions, forwarding rules and connected apps, and warn your contacts if messages were sent from your account.
  • In the UK, forward scam texts to 7726, free. If you lost money, report it to Report Fraud (0300 123 2040) in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, or to Police Scotland on 101.
  • In Spain, INCIBE's free 017 helpline helps every day from 8:00 to 23:00 Spanish time.

The recommendation

For any message that rushes you: don't touch it, open the service yourself and see whether the notice is real. If you can't confirm it, keep it as evidence, report it and delete it.

Sources

Review

Responsible for publication: Ibrahin. Date: 2026-09-02. Last checked: 2026-10-14.