Scam texts going around the UK right now
The same campaigns cycle through millions of UK phones: fake parcels, fake refunds, fake banks, fake family. Here is what each one looks like - and a free AI checker for the message in your hand.
ONSIM AI text check
AIThis check analyses the message content, link domains and sender against known scam patterns. It is provided for information only and is not advice: see our terms and privacy policy. Personal details are removed before anything is stored.
Delivery
Royal Mail scam texts
Royal Mail is one of the most impersonated brands in UK scam texts. The classic format claims a parcel is held because a small fee is unpaid…
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Evri scam texts
Evri (formerly Hermes) delivers a huge share of UK online shopping parcels, which makes "your Evri delivery failed" the most credible openin…
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DPD scam texts
DPD scam texts follow the delivery playbook: a missed parcel, a small fee or an address problem, and a link that leads to a card-harvesting …
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Government
DVLA scam texts
DVLA scam texts offer a vehicle tax refund, warn that your last tax payment failed, or threaten that your vehicle is "no longer taxed". Each…
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HMRC scam texts
HMRC scam texts come in two emotional flavours: the pleasant surprise (a tax refund waiting to be claimed) and the frightener (unpaid tax, l…
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Payments
PayPal scam texts
PayPal scam texts claim your account is limited, a payment you do not recognise has been sent, or a login from a new device needs confirming…
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Amazon scam texts
Amazon scam texts lean on the sheer normality of Amazon in UK life: a Prime renewal problem, an order you did not place, a locked account. T…
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Family impersonation
Hi Mum / Hi Dad scam texts
The "Hi Mum" (or "Hi Dad") scam opens with a message from an unknown number claiming to be your child with a lost or broken phone. After a l…
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Wrong number / friendly stranger scam texts
A text arrives that seems misdirected: "Hi Sarah, are we still on for lunch Thursday?" Reply to correct the mistake and the stranger is char…
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Mobile network
O2 scam texts
O2 scam texts offer a bill refund after "overcharging", a loyalty discount, or warn that a payment failed. The link leads to a fake O2 login…
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EE scam texts
EE scam texts follow the network playbook: a failed bill payment threatening service suspension, expiring reward points, or an upgrade offer…
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Three scam texts
Three scam texts claim a billing failure, offer a refund, or dangle a loyalty discount on your plan. The pattern and the goal match every ne…
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Vodafone scam texts
Vodafone scam texts warn of failed payments, offer refunds for "billing errors", or promote fake loyalty upgrades. As with every network sca…
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Streaming and tech
Netflix scam texts
Netflix scam texts claim a payment was declined and the account is on hold: update your details or lose your subscription tonight. The fake …
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Apple scam texts
Apple scam texts warn that Apple Pay is suspended, iCloud storage is full and photos will be deleted, or an Apple ID login needs verifying. …
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Banking
Three habits that beat every scam text
Never act through the message: reach the organisation by typing its address or opening its app yourself. Forward scam texts free to 7726 so networks can block the campaign. And if a message claims to be your bank, hang up and dial 159. Those three habits defeat every campaign on this page, including the ones that have not been invented yet. For calls rather than texts, our phone number checker shows what has been reported about any UK number.