How to Spot Scam Texts and What to Do If You Clicked

A scam text wants you to act before you think: tap a link, pay a small fee, share a code or reply to a number you don't know. If a message is unexpected, urgent and asks for money or personal details, treat it as a scam until you've checked it yourself. The safe way to check is always the same: don't use anything in the message. Open the company's official app, or type its website address yourself.

The scam texts you're most likely to get

Delivery and customs fees. Your parcel couldn't be delivered, so pay a small fee to rebook. In the US, the Postal Inspection Service says USPS only texts you if you've asked for tracking updates with a tracking number, and those texts don't contain links. In the UK, Royal Mail only texts if the sender requested tracking updates. It won't ask by text for payment on an underpaid item; it leaves a grey Fee to Pay card instead. For customs charges, it may send a text as well as the card.

Unpaid tolls. Texts claiming you owe toll charges, with a link to pay, go to people whether or not they've driven on a toll road, the FTC warns. Scamwatch lists toll road scams in Australia too.

Your bank account is locked. A warning about suspicious activity or a payment you didn't make, with a link or a number to call. People reported losing $3.5 billion to imposter scams in the US in 2025, and among fake businesses, bank impersonators caused the highest reported losses.

Tax refunds. HMRC says it will never send a notification of a tax rebate by text. The IRS says it doesn't send text messages without your permission.

Prizes and offers. Free gifts, coupons, low-interest credit cards or help with student loans that you never asked for. The FTC says none of them are real.

Hi Mum, I've got a new number. A message from an unknown number claiming to be your child, parent or friend. Their phone is broken, they can't get into their banking app, and they need you to pay a bill urgently. It often arrives on WhatsApp, as Scamwatch describes.

Warning signs in the message itself

The UK's Report Fraud service and Australia's Scamwatch list much the same signs:

It's unexpected: a parcel you didn't order, a service you don't use, a prize you didn't enter.
It's urgent or threatening: pay today, or face a fine, a locked account or a cancelled delivery.
It has a link, especially a shortened one or a web address that's almost, but not quite, right.
It asks for a payment, card details, passwords, one-time codes or personal information.
It's from a family member asking for money from a new number.
It doesn't use your name, or it arrives very late at night or very early in the morning.

Don't trust the sender's name either. Report Fraud warns that scammers can spoof a number so the fake text lands in the same thread as genuine messages from your bank.

How to check a message safely

Don't tap the link or reply. The FTC's advice is not to respond to unexpected texts at all.
Go to the source yourself. Open the official app, type the company's address into your browser, or call the number on the back of your card or on a recent bill.
Search the exact wording. Paste a line of the message into a search engine with the word "scam", as Scamwatch suggests.
For family messages, call the number you already have. If they answer on their usual number and know nothing about the message, it's a scam. If you can't reach them, ask a question a stranger couldn't answer. The FBI also suggests agreeing a secret word or phrase with your family.
Get a second opinion. Mirabu's Scam Detector reads a screenshot of the message for common scam scripts, suspicious-looking links, payment requests, and pressure and urgency phrases. It never opens links, and like any tool, it gives you signals, not proof.

Where to report scam texts

United States

Forward the text to 7726 (SPAM) so your carrier can block similar messages, and use your messaging app's report junk option.
Report it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
Texts pretending to be USPS can also go to spam@uspis.gov, and fake IRS texts to phishing@irs.gov.

United Kingdom

Forward the text to 7726. It's free, and most UK phone providers take part, according to the NCSC.
Forward fake HMRC texts to 60599, and suspicious emails to report@phishing.gov.uk.
If you've lost money, report it to Report Fraud online or on 0300 123 2040 if you live in England, Wales or Northern Ireland. Report Fraud replaced Action Fraud in December 2025, as GOV.UK announced. In Scotland, call Police Scotland on 101.

Australia

Report it to Scamwatch. If you've lost money or personal information, contact your bank straight away; you can also make a police report.

If you clicked, replied or paid

You only opened the link. Close the page and don't enter or download anything. If you installed something, run a full scan with your security software, as the NCSC advises.
You entered card or bank details. Call your bank now, on the number on your card. In the UK, 159 connects you safely to most banks.
You entered a password. Change it on that account and on any other account that uses it, and turn on two-step verification or a passkey.
You paid. Contact your bank, card issuer or payment app straight away and ask them to stop or reverse the payment. For gift cards, call the issuer on the number on the back. The FTC's checklist covers each payment method.
You shared personal details. In the US, the FTC points to IdentityTheft.gov if your Social Security number may be misused. In Australia, IDCARE can help on 1800 595 160.

Then report it using the channels above, and be wary of anyone who contacts you afterwards offering to recover your money for a fee.

Questions people ask

Is it safe to reply STOP?

It's better not to reply at all. The FTC advises against responding to unexpected texts. Report the message and delete it instead.

The text used my name. Does that mean it's real?

No. Check through the official app or website whatever the message seems to know about you.

Do the same rules apply on WhatsApp?

Yes. Report Fraud notes that scam messages arrive by SMS, WhatsApp and other messaging apps. Use the app's own report and block options.

What if a company really did text me?

Then the same information will be waiting when you log in to the official app or website. Checking that way costs you a minute and nothing else.

Sources

How to recognize and report spam text messages, FTC Consumer Advice
Got a text about unpaid tolls? It's probably a scam, FTC, January 2025
FTC data show people reported losing $3.5 billion to imposter scams in 2025, Federal Trade Commission, June 2026
What to do if you were scammed, FTC Consumer Advice
Smishing, US Postal Inspection Service
Report phishing, IRS
Criminals use generative artificial intelligence to facilitate financial fraud, FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center
Royal Mail scam advice, Royal Mail
Report suspicious HMRC emails, texts, social media accounts and phone calls, GOV.UK
Report a scam text message, Report a scam email and If you've shared sensitive information, National Cyber Security Centre
Smishing, Report Fraud (City of London Police)
Report Fraud: new service from City of London Police, GOV.UK
159, Stop Scams UK
Phishing scams, ACCC warning as Hi Mum scams spike and Report a scam, Scamwatch (ACCC)