Got a scam call or text message? What to do now

1. 1

   Hang up, or leave the text unanswered

   Don’t call back the number in the message, don’t press a key to speak to an adviser, and don’t tap the link.
2. 2

   Never give a code, and never move money

   Anyone who asks for a verification code is a scammer, and no real bank tells you to move your money to protect it. Never approve, in your banking app, a payment you did not start.
3. 3

   Call the organisation yourself

   Use a number you find yourself: on your card, in the app, on a letter or on the official website. The number shown on your phone can be faked, even when it is your bank’s real number. On a landline, call from a different phone, or wait 20 minutes: a scammer can keep the line open so that your call reaches them again. In the UK, call 159.
4. 4

   If you gave card details or approved something, call your bank now

   Ask it to block the card and to cancel what can still be cancelled. Then change your online banking password.
5. 5

   Keep the evidence

   Screenshot the text and note the number and the time of the call: your bank and the services below will ask for them.
6. 6

   Report the number

   Forward the text and report the number to the services below.

isMalicious compares what you paste with the threat intelligence sources it collects. It does not scan your device and cannot undo what already happened.

Keep the message, the link or the number until you have reported it: you will need them. These are the services that handle each case.

Somewhere else? Report to your national police or your country’s cybercrime reporting service.

In France? The French version of this guide lists the French services.

• It creates urgency: a parcel held, a fine, fraud on your account, an account about to be closed.
• It asks for a code you just received by SMS. That code is what lets them into your account.
• The caller knows details about you. That proves nothing: such details often come from data leaks.
• It asks you to pay by gift card, wire transfer, cryptocurrency or a payment app.
• The caller ID shows your bank’s real number. Scammers can make any number appear.

• I clicked a phishing link: what to do now

  Close the page, then deal with what you typed, downloaded or allowed after the click.

• Tech support scam pop-up: what to do now

  Don’t call the number: close the page, and if you already called, cut the remote access.

• QR code phishing (quishing): what to do

  Read the link before you open it, and pay through the official app or site you open yourself.

The steps follow these official pages, read on 2026-10-02:

• FTCPhone Scams (opens in a new tab)
• FTCWhat’s a verification code and why would someone ask me for it? (opens in a new tab)
• Stop! Think Fraud (GOV.UK)Reporting fraud (opens in a new tab)
• nidirect (Northern Ireland government)Phone scams and cold calls (opens in a new tab)
• Cybermalveillance.gouv.frQue faire en cas de fraude au faux conseiller bancaire ? (opens in a new tab) (in French)
• Cybermalveillance.gouv.frL’hameçonnage au faux numéro d’opposition bancaire (opens in a new tab) (in French)
• Service-Public.gouv.frDémarchage téléphonique abusif, spam vocal ou par SMS : que faire ? (opens in a new tab) (in French)
• ArcepLutte contre les appels frauduleux : l’Arcep ouvre une enquête administrative sur l’origine et les routes des appels impliqués dans les fraudes (29 janvier 2026) (opens in a new tab) (in French)