What is a Phishing Scams?
How It Works — Step by Step
- You receive an email, SMS, or message that looks like it's from your bank, Amazon, PayPal, or another trusted source
- The message creates urgency: 'Your account has been compromised,' 'Verify immediately or lose access,' 'Package could not be delivered'
- You click a link that leads to a fake website that looks identical to the real one
- You enter your login credentials, credit card details, or personal information
- Scammers instantly capture your data and use it to drain accounts or sell on dark web markets
Top Countries (Victims)
Top Platforms Used
⚠️ Warning Signs
- Sender email doesn't match the company domain (e.g., [email protected])
- Urgent language threatening immediate consequences
- Hover over links — the URL doesn't match the supposed sender's domain
- Grammar mistakes or unusual formatting
- Requests for passwords, PINs, or security codes
- Generic greeting ('Dear Customer') instead of your name
- Unsolicited attachments
✅ How to Protect Yourself
- Never click links in unsolicited emails — go directly to the website
- Enable two-factor authentication (2FA) on all accounts
- Check the URL carefully before entering any information
- Use a password manager — it won't autofill on fake sites
- Install anti-phishing browser extensions
- When in doubt, call the company directly using a number from their official website
Real Cases from Our Database
[US] got an email from “payflow” i received an email from “payflow” that had the actual paypal email telling me i had a pending order charge/invoice related to a customs fee telling me to log into man...
[US] So I got this random friend request on Discord today, and this is obviously a scam right? I like to post on Casting Call Club from time to time, and I randomly got a friend request on discord (wh...
[US] Alright- real or fake email offer Got this email today and I’ve had plenty of phishing emails over the years of which I’m fairly sure this one is too….. but just in case, what do you all think? I...
"Comcast data breach settlement" postcards are real (Hasson v. Comcast), not phishing — how to verify Heads up — postcards are going out for a real class-action settlement over the October 2023 Comcas...
Australian email scam for subscription that expired last year This is what was emailed to me today. I was part of this subscription service in 2022 and had a 3 year subscription which I paid upfront. ...
Need help determining if this is real or not I received this text yesterday, and I was concerned about it’s legitimacy. I have not clicked the link, just opened the text and that’s it. I have gotten s...
Is wife being scammed or has it already happened Wife got a life360 verification code this morning, an app she doesn't use. Then had ignored two unknown numbers then got a text asking if it was her by...
PSA: Could you fall for the ClickFix scam? Harmless test: https://avanatro.github.io/clickfix/ Could you fall for the "ClickFix" trick? Here's a 100% safe way to find out. There's a scam going aroun...
Got this email warning from Medicare this morning re free health care devices "Someone you don't know calls, emails, or texts you offering free medical equipment or services. What should you do? Hang ...
I accidentally reported you scam okay so I was on discord and someone I rejected a year ago sent me a text saying they accidentally reported me. I don’t use discord that much so obviously I fell for i...
[US] Was scammed recently Hi everyone. I was scammed recently, and I want to talk about it because it's been weighing on me so much. A few days ago my “mutual” (their account was hacked) on twitter re...
[US] Probably a phishing email but sending address is legit My wife got this email from a quickbooks email address which seems legit. I am positive this is a scam but why is the sending email addres...
📋 Where to Report Phishing Scams
- FTC (reportfraud.ftc.gov)
- Anti-Phishing Working Group ([email protected])
- Your email provider
- Your bank if financial data was stolen