Text Message Scams

Scam texts — known as smishing (SMS phishing) — are one of the most common frauds in the UK. A message pretends to be a courier, your bank, HMRC, the DVLA or the NHS, and pushes you to tap a link, pay a small fee, or hand over a code. The golden rule never changes: never act on the link, phone number or payment details inside the message itself — open the official app or website yourself and check. This hub explains the texts doing the rounds in the UK, how to tell a fake from the real thing, and how to report one in under a minute.

Not sure about a message right now? Paste it into our free AI scam checker for an instant verdict.

The most common UK scam texts

Fake delivery texts are the biggest category — a 'missed parcel', 'redelivery fee' or 'address problem' from a courier you may not even be expecting. See the guides for DPD, Evri, Yodel, UPS, Royal Mail and Hermes.

Bank texts claim there's 'suspicious activity' or a 'new payee', or ask you to 'verify' your account — and a related worry is when your genuine bank verification codes stop arriving. Bank-specific guides cover Halifax, Lloyds, NatWest and Barclays.

Government and council texts impersonate HMRC ('you're owed a tax refund'), the DVLA ('your vehicle tax failed'), the NHS and council tax departments — all leaning on a believable official name plus a link or a threat.

How to tell if a text is a scam

Genuine organisations don't behave the way scam texts do. Treat a message as a scam if any of these apply:

• It contains a link asking you to pay, log in or 'verify' — banks, couriers and government bodies don't do this by text.
• It demands a small fee ('redelivery', 'release', 'customs') to free a parcel or fix an account.
• It creates urgency — act within hours, your account will be closed, your parcel returned.
• It comes from an ordinary mobile or international number, not a recognised sender ID.
• The web address isn't the official one — watch for extra words, hyphens or odd endings (e.g. 'royalmail-redelivery' rather than royalmail.com).
• It asks for a card number, PIN, password or one-time code — no genuine body needs these by text.

How to check a suspicious text safely

Never tap the link. Verify the claim through a clean route you trust instead:

• Go direct. Open the official app, or type the company's address into your browser yourself — never follow the link in the message.
• Use the number you already have. Call the number on the back of your bank card, or the contact details on the official website — not a number from the text.
• Check the order. For delivery texts, log into the retailer you actually bought from; if there's no matching parcel, it's a scam.
• Ask the checker. Paste the message into our free AI scam checker for an instant second opinion.

What to do if you've already tapped a link or paid

• If you entered card or bank details, contact your bank immediately on the number on your card — block the card and report fraud.
• Change the password for any account whose details you entered, and turn on two-step verification.
• Be ready for a follow-up phone call pretending to be your bank's fraud team — that's often stage two. Hang up and call your bank back on the official number.
• Keep the message as evidence, then report it (below).

How to report a scam text in the UK

Reporting takes under a minute and genuinely helps shut these campaigns down.

• Forward the text free to 7726 — the spam-reporting shortcode run by mobile networks (it spells 'SPAM' on a keypad) — then delete it.
• Report to Action Fraud at reportfraud.police.uk or 0300 123 2040 if you've lost money or shared details (in Scotland, contact Police Scotland on 101).
• Report phishing websites to the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC).

All text message scams guides

Common questions

Browse other scam categories

• Email Scams (15 guides)
• Payment Scams (15 guides)
• Marketplace Scams (15 guides)
• Phone Scams (13 guides)
• Travel Scams (12 guides)
• Website Scams (12 guides)