Scam Text Messages UK: Spot, Check & Report

Scam texts — known as smishing (SMS phishing) — are widely encountered in the UK. In a survey conducted for Ofcom in February 2026, 40% of UK mobile users said they had received at least one suspicious message in the previous three months. 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 automated second opinion. It is not a verdict and does not replace checking through an official route yourself.

The most common UK scam texts

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

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

Scam texts often combine several warning signs. Treat a message as suspicious and verify it independently if any of these apply:

• It contains a link asking you to pay, log in or 'verify'. Genuine organisations sometimes send links — HMRC lists genuine campaigns that may include GOV.UK information or webchat links — so the link alone is not proof; open the official app or website yourself instead.
• 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 when the organisation normally uses another channel. NCSC guidance says telecoms systems cannot reliably tell a recipient who originated a call or SMS, so a familiar sender name is not proof.
• 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 full card number, PIN, password or one-time code. Never disclose these in response to an unexpected 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. No matching parcel is a strong warning rather than proof on its own — sender or courier information can be delayed or wrong — so check with the retailer and, if a delivery does exist, the courier's own official service.
• 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 providers investigate these campaigns.

• Forward a suspicious SMS text to 7726 free of charge, as explained in Ofcom's current guidance. For RCS, iMessage and messages received through apps, use the service's built-in reporting tools.
• Report to Report 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

Sources checked

• Ofcom — Combatting mobile messaging scams: statement (February 2026 survey — 40% of UK mobile users received a suspicious message in the previous three months)
• Ofcom — What to do about a scam call, text or message (forward texts to 7726 free of charge)
• Ofcom — New rules to thwart text message scammers (spoofed alphanumeric Sender IDs)
• Ofcom — Types of scam calls, texts and messages
• NCSC — Business communications: SMS and telephone best practice ("the technology and systems that underpin mass communications cannot reliably tell the recipient who originated a phone call or SMS message")
• HMRC — Check if a text message you've received from HMRC is genuine (some genuine texts include GOV.UK or webchat links; HMRC will not ask for personal or financial information by text)
• NCSC — Report a scam website
• Report Fraud — reporting a fraud, and who the service covers
• Police Scotland — contact us: non-emergencies on 101
• NCSC — Phishing: respond and recover
• Evri — About us (Hermes UK rebranded as Evri in March 2022)

Last reviewed 2026-07-30. Reporting routes are checked against our verified canon of official UK sources. Read about how Beat the Scam writes guides.

Browse other scam categories

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