AI impersonation6 minute read
Identity and impersonation
AI voice and video impersonation
Voice cloning and generated video can imitate a relative, manager or public official. The safest test happens outside the call.
Scams by type
Text message scams: the link is the trap.
Scam texts cost almost nothing to send in bulk, so they use stories that fit nearly anyone: a parcel on hold, an unpaid toll, a bank alert, a relative with a new number, an easy job. Most want one of two things — that you tap a link, or that you reply and start a conversation.
Messaging apps follow the same patterns, with the extra trick of a familiar name or profile picture. The habit that defeats them all is to check through the app, account or contact you already use, never through the message itself.
13 guides · Updated 13 October 2026
The guides
Choose the one that matches.
Each guide shows a realistic example with the warning signs marked, how to verify the contact without using its details, and what to do if you already acted.
Bank impersonation7 minute read
Money and impersonation
Bank fraud-team impersonation
Scammers create panic about an account, then offer to fix it by collecting codes, remote access or a transfer.
Delivery messages6 minute read
Shopping and services
Fake delivery and parcel texts
A missed-delivery message uses a small believable problem to collect payment details, passwords and personal information.
Job scams6 minute read
Work and employment
Fake recruiter and task scams
Unexpected remote-job messages turn into fake cheques, paid tasks, equipment fees or requests to deposit your own money.
Investment fraud6 minute read
Money and investments
Online investment and crypto fraud
Fake platforms, advisers and AI-generated personalities manufacture trust, profits and urgency before blocking withdrawals.
Romance scams6 minute read
Relationships and trust
Romance scams and relationship investment fraud
A patient online relationship can be engineered to isolate a person, introduce emergencies or investments, and make repeated payments feel like acts of trust.
Marketplace scams6 minute read
Shopping and services
Online marketplace buyer and seller scams
Fake buyers and sellers move conversations off-platform, imitate payment notices and remove the protections that make a marketplace useful.
Account takeover6 minute read
Devices and account access
Verification-code and account-takeover scams
A caller who already has a password may need only one approval, code or recovery change to take control of an account.
Authority impersonation6 minute read
Identity and impersonation
Government and law-enforcement impersonation
Fake officials use arrest threats, badges, case numbers and real personal data to keep victims on the phone and force immediate payment or secrecy.
Toll and fine texts9 minute read
Identity and impersonation
Unpaid toll and road-charge texts
Fake toll and fine texts borrow the authority of a road agency, threatening late fees, licence penalties or court so that you pay through a link before checking.
Family impersonation10 minute read
Identity and impersonation
‘Hi Mum’ and new-number family texts
A message from an unknown number claims to be your son, daughter or a friend whose phone is lost or broken, then turns the chat into an urgent request to pay a bill or send money.
Gift card payments9 minute read
Money and impersonation
Gift card payment demands
Fake officials, support staff, bosses, prize organisers and online partners tell different stories but ask for the same thing: the numbers and PINs from gift cards, which can be spent without the card and are hard to recover.
Prize and lottery scams9 minute read
Money and impersonation
Prize, lottery and giveaway scams
A message says you have won a lottery, prize draw or giveaway, then asks for a fee, ‘tax’ or your bank details before anything can be released.
What they have in common
Signs that come up again and again.
- A link to pay, track a parcel, verify an account or ‘avoid suspension’
- A small fee or balance with a large penalty if you delay
- A family member or friend writing from a ‘new number’ who soon needs money
- Pressure to reply quickly or to move to a different messaging app
- Requests for card details, one-time codes or personal information
- A web address that does not match the organisation it claims to be
What to do
Three moves that work every time.
Don’t tap the link or reply
Reading a scam text is not usually the danger. The risk starts when you tap the link, reply or enter details on the page it opens.
Check in the app or account you already use
Open the retailer, bank, toll or carrier app yourself, or call a relative on the number you have saved. A real problem will show up there.
Report it, then delete it
Use your phone’s report-junk option or forward the text to 7726 where the service is supported, then delete it.
Practise the pause
What would you do?
Try a realistic scenario before it happens for real. Choose a response and see why it helps or hurts.
Common questions
Short answers.
I tapped the link but didn’t enter anything. What now?
Close the page and do not return to it. If you entered nothing and downloaded nothing, the risk is lower — but watch for follow-up messages that mention the same story, and treat them as unverified. If you did type details in, act on that straight away.
Steps after clicking a linkShould I reply STOP to a scam text?
It is safer not to reply at all. A reply confirms that the number is active and can lead to more messages. Report it and delete it instead.
Why do I get scam texts about things I really did, like a parcel or a toll?
Because the messages are sent to huge numbers of people, many will happen to match something the recipient did. The timing feels personal but usually is not. Check the real account rather than the message.
Sources
Official guidance used on this page.
U.S. Federal Trade CommissionHow To Recognize and Report Spam Text MessagesJuly 2022 · Opens official source ↗UK National Cyber Security CentreReport a scam text messageReviewed 5 September 2022 · Opens official source ↗Get Cyber Safe (Government of Canada)Reporting spam text messages to 7726Modified 23 January 2026 · Opens official source ↗