Guide
How to Check If a Website Is Legit: 10 Checks
Before you buy, log in or pay a bill online, run these 10 quick checks to tell a real website from a fake one — from the web address to the payment page.
Phishing Emails and Fake Websites
Phishing is when a scammer pretends to be a company or person you trust to get your passwords, account numbers or Social Security number. It usually arrives as an email with a link or attachment, and often leads to a fake website that looks just like the real one.
A real logo or a familiar sender name is not proof that a message is genuine. Instead of using links in a message, go to the company yourself. The guides below show what phishing emails look like, how to check whether a website is legitimate, and where to report both.
Guides
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Guide
What Is Phishing? A Plain-English Guide
Phishing is when scammers pose as someone you trust to steal passwords, account numbers or your Social Security number. How phishing works and how to stay safe.
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Guide
Is a Scammer Using Your Email Address? (Email Spoofing)
Friends getting scam emails from your address? Learn the difference between a spoofed and a hacked email account, how to check, and the steps to lock it down.
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Guide
Phishing Emails: Real Examples and 7 Red Flags
See what phishing emails look like — fake billing holds, invoices, security alerts and refunds — and the 7 red flags that give them away.
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Guide
How to Report a Phishing Email: Where to Send It
How to report phishing and scam emails: your email's Report phishing button, reportphishing@apwg.org, the FTC and the FBI — plus what to do if you clicked.
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Guide
How to Report a Scam or Phishing Website
Found a fake store or phishing site? Report it to the FTC, the FBI's IC3, Google Safe Browsing and Microsoft, and alert the company being copied. Step by step.
Where to report email & phishing scams
Reporting helps investigators spot patterns and warn others — even if you did not lose money. Type these addresses yourself or use the links below; do not use links from a suspicious message.
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Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
Any scam, fraud or bad business practice — calls, texts, emails, websites and impostors.
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FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3)
Online and computer-related fraud, including tech-support, romance, investment and crypto scams.
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IdentityTheft.gov (FTC)
If a scammer got your Social Security number, bank details or other personal information.
You can also report to your state attorney general. If you sent money, call your bank or card company right away using the number on the back of your card.
Other scam types
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Government impostors
Callers and texts pretending to be Social Security, the IRS or Medicare. How to recognize them and where to report them. -
Phone scams
Impostor calls, robocalls, fake prizes and spoofed caller ID. How the most common phone scams work and what to say — or not say. -
Text message scams
Fake fraud alerts, package and toll texts, "wrong number" chats and job offers. Real examples of scam texts and how to report them. -
Delivery & toll texts
Fake texts about a package you missed or an unpaid toll. Learn what the real ones look like and what to do if you clicked. -
Tech support
Pop-ups and calls claiming your computer is infected or hacked. How the scam works, the warning signs, and how to recover. -
Family emergency
A call from a "grandchild" in trouble who needs money fast — now sometimes using a cloned voice. How to check before you pay. -
Romance
Online relationships that turn into requests for money. Warning signs, how to talk to a loved one about it, and where to report. -
Social media
Fake ads and shops, hacked friends, Marketplace tricks and investment "coaches" on social media. How to spot them and protect your account. -
Investment & crypto
Fake trading platforms, "guaranteed" returns and crypto ATMs. How to spot investment fraud before you send money. -
Bank & Zelle
Fake fraud alerts from "your bank" and payment-app tricks. What your real bank will never ask and how to protect your accounts. -
Medicare & health
Calls offering "free" equipment, new cards or plan changes in exchange for your Medicare number. How to protect your benefits.