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Pause before you click, reply, pay, or scan. Treat an unexpected message that creates urgency or asks for a password, payment, security code, or other sensitive information as potentially fraudulent. Check the sender and the destination, but do not mistake a familiar logo, official-looking seal, case number, or polished writing for proof. Verify the claim through a website or phone number you find independently—not through the message itself.
This guide shows how to examine email, text messages, and QR codes, how to verify a request safely, and what to do if you already interacted with a scam.
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What phishing is—and why the channel does not make it safe
Phishing is a social-engineering scam in which an attacker impersonates a company, government agency, delivery service, financial institution, employer, or another trusted party. The message may try to steal a username and password, payment details, one-time security codes, identity information, or access to an account. It may also direct you to malware. The same tactic can arrive by email, SMS, a QR image, or a combination of channels. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) both warn that spoofed messages can look convincing even when the sender and destination are not genuine.
No channel is inherently safe. Email provides room for convincing branding and attachments; text messages exploit the fact that people often respond quickly on a phone; a QR code can conceal the destination until your camera or scanner opens it. Judge the request and the verification path, not the medium.
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For a current federal overview, see the FTC’s phishing guidance and the FBI’s spoofing and phishing guidance.
The 60-second phishing check
Use this sequence whenever a message is unexpected or asks you to take a consequential action:
- Stop. Do not click a link, open an attachment, reply, call the supplied number, pay, or scan a QR code while you are still deciding whether the message is real.
- Identify the request. Is it asking for credentials, a payment, a gift card, a one-time code, personal data, an urgent download, or a change to banking or payroll details?
- Look for pressure. “Act now,” account suspension, a delivery deadline, a legal threat, a suspicious-activity warning, a prize, or a traffic-violation claim are common ways to rush you.
- Inspect the sender. Compare the displayed name with the full email address, phone number, or account that sent it. Look for extra words, misspellings, unusual domains, or a mismatch with the organization being invoked.
- Inspect the destination. On a computer, hover over a link without clicking; on a phone, press and hold only if your device shows the full URL safely. Look for a look-alike domain, misspelled words, unexpected subdomains, or a destination unrelated to the supposed sender. A QR code requires the same check after scanning; the image itself does not prove where it leads.
- Verify independently. Open the organization’s app or type its known website address yourself. Use a phone number from a statement, card, contract, or official website—not a number in the suspicious message.
- Choose the low-risk action. If you cannot verify the claim, delete or report the message. A legitimate organization can explain the request through its normal support channel.
The FTC frames the central question this way: “If you get an email or a text message that asks you to click on a link or open an attachment, answer this question:” read the FTC’s full guidance before taking the requested action.
Inspect the sender, address, and writing—but do not over-trust appearances
Email addresses
Expand the sender details and read the complete address. An attacker may use a look-alike domain, a free mailbox, a misspelled company name, or a legitimate service whose account was compromised. The visible display name can be copied easily, so “Bank Support” or “Government Services” is not authentication. Compare the domain after the “@” with the domain you know the organization uses, character by character.
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Phone numbers and text identities
Text-message sender IDs can be spoofed, and a familiar area code does not establish identity. A message that appears in an existing conversation thread can still be fraudulent if the sender ID was forged or the account was taken over. Do not use the number in the message to “confirm” it; find the organization’s number independently.
Style and branding
Spelling errors can be a clue, but perfect grammar is not proof of legitimacy. Criminals can copy logos, signatures, seals, case numbers, invoice layouts, and professional language. Treat branding as decoration until the request is confirmed through a separate, trusted route. The FBI specifically advises examining the sender and URL and avoiding unsolicited links and attachments.
Recognize the pressure tactics
Scammers want you to react before you inspect. Common stories include:
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- A delivery is held until you pay a small fee or update an address.
- “Suspicious activity” requires you to confirm a password, card, or one-time code.
- You have won a prize or refund but must pay a fee or provide personal information first.
- A government or legal authority threatens arrest, fines, account closure, or another consequence unless you act immediately.
- A traffic-violation notice demands payment through a link or QR code. The FTC’s April 2026 alert describes this as a current scam pattern: “That text about a traffic violation is probably a scam.”
Urgency is not evidence. If the matter is real, you can verify it through the organization’s normal website, app, or published phone number.
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Email: what to check before clicking or opening anything
| Check | What to look for | Safer action |
|---|---|---|
| Sender | Full address, domain spelling, unexpected display-name mismatch | Do not reply; contact the organization independently |
| Links | Destination differs from the claimed organization, look-alike characters, shortened or unexpected URL | Open a known bookmark or type the official address yourself |
| Attachments | Unexpected invoice, form, document, archive, or executable file | Do not open; confirm through a separate channel |
| Request | Password, payment, gift card, one-time code, personal data, or urgent download | Decline until independently verified |
Hovering over a link can reveal its destination on a desktop browser, but do not click merely to inspect it. If your email app does not display a destination safely, use a separate device or go directly to the organization’s known website. Never enter credentials after following a link from an unexpected message. If an attachment might be legitimate, verify the sender through a phone number or website you located yourself and ask whether they sent that exact file.
Forwarding or replying can confirm that your address is active and may expose more information. Preserve the message as evidence if you plan to report it, then use the provider’s spam or phishing-report function.
Text messages: treat links, payment stories, and QR images as untrusted
A text that claims to be from a delivery company, bank, toll service, employer, or government office can be a phishing attempt even when it uses your name or references a real transaction. Do not reply “STOP” to a suspicious message unless you know the sender is a legitimate service; replying can tell a scammer that your number is monitored. Do not follow a link, download an app, or call a number supplied in the text.
Check whether you were actually expecting the event. If you are waiting for a parcel, open the retailer’s or carrier’s app yourself and view its status there. If a bank message concerns a card, use the number on the card or your bank’s known app. A legitimate alert should remain verifiable without the text’s link.
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- FAST & CONVENIENT LOGIN: Plug in your Security Key NFC via USB-A and tap it, or tap it against your phone (NFC) to authenticate. No batteries, no internet connection, and no extra fees required.
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The FTC’s spam-text guidance explains how to report messages. In the United States, you can forward a phishing text to 7726 (SPAM) and report the scam to the FTC.
QR codes: a hidden link that needs the same scrutiny
A QR code is not a security feature. It is a way to encode a destination, and the destination may be a spoofed login page, a payment form, an app download, or malware. You cannot judge the destination from the black-and-white pattern alone. The FTC warns that scammers hide harmful links in QR codes, and the FBI’s July 31, 2025 alert advises against scanning codes from unknown origins: FTC QR-code alert and FBI QR-code alert.
Before scanning
- Ask why you received the code and whether you were expecting it.
- Be especially cautious with codes in unsolicited emails, texts, letters, packages, parking notices, or signs placed over an existing code.
- Do not scan because a message says you must pay or verify immediately.
After scanning
Stop if the previewed URL is misspelled, uses a look-alike character, points to an unexpected domain, or asks for credentials or payment unrelated to what you expected. Do not install an app from the QR destination merely because the page says it is required. Close the page and verify through a known website or phone number. If you scanned but did not enter information, close the page, avoid downloading anything, and run an up-to-date security scan if a file or app was offered.
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- Leave the message. Do not use its link, phone number, reply address, QR destination, or attachment.
- Find an independent route. Type the organization’s web address from a trusted record, use an app already installed from a legitimate source, or use a phone number printed on a card, statement, bill, or official document.
- Check the account directly. Sign in by navigating yourself and look for the alleged alert, invoice, delivery, violation, or security event.
- Ask a precise question. Tell support the date, claimed sender, and requested action. Do not disclose a password or one-time code while asking.
- Use a second person for high-stakes requests. For a large payment, payroll change, legal threat, or account takeover warning, have a colleague or family member review the request using a separate device or contact route.
Do not let a phone call from the same message “verify” it. A scammer can answer the supplied number or transfer you to another scammer. Independence means starting from information you already trusted before the message arrived.
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What to do if you clicked, replied, scanned, or entered information
If you entered a password or security code
- Change the exposed password immediately from the service’s genuine website or app.
- Change it anywhere else you reused it. Use unique passwords for important accounts.
- Turn on multi-factor authentication. A security key can be one possible factor where the account supports it, but it is optional and is not a phishing detector.
- Review recent sign-ins, recovery email addresses, phone numbers, forwarding rules, and newly added devices. Remove anything you do not recognize.
If payment information or money was involved
Contact the bank, card issuer, payment service, or money-transfer provider promptly using a number from a statement, card, or official app. Explain that the transaction may be fraudulent and ask what cancellation, replacement, or monitoring steps are available. Review statements for additional unauthorized activity.
If you supplied identity information
Watch affected accounts and follow the FTC’s recovery steps at IdentityTheft.gov when identity theft is possible. The appropriate response depends on what information was exposed and which accounts are involved.
If you downloaded software or suspect malware
Disconnect the affected device from sensitive accounts while you assess it, update its security software, and run a scan, following the FTC’s recovery advice. Do not continue entering passwords on a device that may be compromised. Use a known-clean device to change important credentials.
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Preserve evidence
Keep the original email, text, URL, QR image, phone number, timestamps, receipts, and screenshots. Do not forward malicious links to friends or colleagues as a warning; share the details through your organization’s security process or a reporting form instead.
How to report phishing in the United States
Reporting can help providers and investigators identify campaigns, even when you do not lose money.
- Phishing email: Forward it to [email protected]. Use your email provider’s built-in phishing report option as well.
- Phishing text: Forward it to 7726 (SPAM), then report it to the FTC through ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
- Fraud or attempted fraud: Submit a report to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
- Spoofing or cyber-enabled crime: The FBI directs victims and the public to report relevant incidents to the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) through its official reporting site.
- Work or school account: Notify your organization’s security or IT team using its established internal route, even if you did not click.
These are U.S. routes. Other countries use different reporting authorities, so use your national consumer-protection, cybercrime, or telecommunications regulator when you are elsewhere.
Reduce the chance of a successful phish
- Enable multi-factor authentication on email, financial, cloud, and social accounts. Prefer a security key or authenticator method when the service supports it over relying only on text messages.
- Use a password manager to create unique passwords and to make it harder to enter credentials on an unrelated domain. It will not make a malicious link safe, so still verify unexpected requests.
- Keep your operating system, browser, email app, and security software updated.
- Turn on transaction alerts and review account activity regularly.
- For work, establish a second-channel confirmation rule for payment changes, password resets, and sensitive-document requests.
- Teach family members that legitimate support staff will not require them to surrender a password or one-time code under threat of immediate punishment.
Quick decisions for common scenarios
| Situation | Risk signal | Best next move |
|---|---|---|
| “Your account will close today” email | Urgency plus a login link | Open the service’s known app or typed website and check alerts there |
| Delivery-fee text | Unexpected payment request and link | Check the order in the retailer or carrier app; do not use the text |
| QR code in an unsolicited package | Unknown origin and hidden destination | Do not scan; contact the purported sender independently |
| Traffic-violation QR text | Official-looking threat and immediate payment demand | Verify with the jurisdiction’s known website or office number |
| Supplier requests new bank details by email | High-impact payment change | Confirm with a known contact by phone and follow your organization’s approval process |
Bottom line
Unexpected contact, urgency, and a request for sensitive information are enough to stop. Inspect the sender and destination, but trust neither branding nor a QR image by itself. Verify through a website, app, or phone number you found independently; report the attempt; and move quickly through password, payment, identity, and malware recovery steps if you interacted with it.
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