Staying safe from phishing and scams
We block criminal misuse of Alice at our end. This page is for the other side of it — keeping you safe from the people trying it on you. It is written for everyone, not for security specialists.
Spotting a phishing email or text
Phishing messages copy a brand you trust and push you to act before you think. The wording is usually good these days, so judge the request, not the spelling.
- Urgency is the tell. "Your account will be closed today", "unusual login", "parcel held" — real organisations give you time.
- Never use the link in the message. Open your banking app or type the website address yourself.
- Check what is being asked for. No bank, HMRC, or delivery firm needs your full password, card PIN, or a one-time code.
- Hover the sender address on a computer, or tap and hold on a phone. Look at the part just before the first single slash — that is the real domain.
- Attachments you were not expecting stay unopened, even from someone you know. Their account may be the one that was hacked.
- If a message quotes a real order or invoice, it may still be fake. Compromised inboxes get read before they get used.
Social media scams
Most social scams start friendly. Someone reaches out, builds a little trust over days or weeks, then introduces money.
- A stranger who moves the chat to WhatsApp or Telegram quickly is following a script.
- "I made £4,000 this week" investment tips, crypto mentors and signal groups end with your money gone and theirs untouched.
- A friend messaging from a new account asking for money or a code is an impersonator. Ring the real person.
- Giveaways that ask for a small fee, a delivery charge or your card "to verify" are never giveaways.
- Romance scams take months and feel real. The warning sign is money — an emergency, a customs fee, a locked account.
- Job offers with no interview, paid in crypto, or that ask you to receive and forward payments are recruiting money mules. That is a criminal offence, even if you did not know.
Scams that use AI
The tools that make Alice useful also make fraud cheaper. Knowing what is now easy to fake helps you stay a step ahead.
- Voices can be cloned from a few seconds of audio. A panicked call from family asking for money needs a call back on the number you already have.
- Video calls can be faked too. For anything involving money, confirm on a second channel you chose.
- Fake customer support accounts, websites and chatbots are easy to spin up. Reach support through the app or the address on your statement.
- Agree a family password — one word, said out loud, never written down — for any urgent money request.
Small habits that stop most attacks
None of these are difficult, and together they block the overwhelming majority of attempts.
- Use a different password for your email than anywhere else. Email is the master key to everything.
- Turn on two-factor authentication, ideally with an app rather than text messages.
- Let your phone and computer install updates. Most break-ins use a hole that was fixed months ago.
- Never read a one-time code out to anyone, ever. Nobody legitimate will ask.
- Check your statements monthly. Small test charges come before big ones.
If you think you have been caught out
Speed matters more than embarrassment. These frauds work on professionals, accountants and police officers too.
- Ring your bank straight away — 159 connects you safely to most UK banks.
- Change the password on your email first, then anywhere that shared it.
- Report it to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040, or to Police Scotland on 101 in Scotland.
- Keep the messages and screenshots. They help the investigation.
- Tell someone. Scammers rely on people staying quiet and being targeted again.
Ask Alice about a message you have received
You can paste a suspicious email or message into a chat and ask whether it looks like a scam. Alice will help you check it, and will tell you how to report it — she just will not help anyone write one.
General guidance only, not legal or financial advice. If money has already moved, contact your bank before anything else.