Merseyside Police backs #ReportThePhish campaign

Merseyside Police is backing a new national campaign aimed at preventing people falling victim to phishing.

On Monday 19 June, a multi-agency campaign called #ReportThePhish was launched by Action Fraud and City of London Police in partnership with government and industry partners.

Every year, thousands of people fall victim to scams that begin with a fraudulent email or text message, including in Merseyside.

Text messages and emails impersonating well-known organisations remains a common tactic used by criminals.

As of 31 May 2023, 54,000 text message scams across the country have been removed as a result of suspicious text messages reported using the Suspicious Email Reporting Service (SERS).

Phishing attacks, whether it’s a text message purporting to be from your bank or an email claiming to be from the HMRC are a common security challenge that both individuals and businesses across the UK face on a daily basis.

The aims of the #ReportThePhish campaign are to:
- Raise awareness of how to spot phishing messages
- Raise awareness of how to report phishing messages
- Inform the public about what they do with their phishing reports

Detective Inspector John Black from Merseyside Police's cyber team said: “If you receive an email or text message that you think might be a scam, don’t respond to it or click any links in the message or email. Instead, contact the organisation directly using contact information from the company’s official website, and not the links or numbers provided in the message itself.

“If you think you have been a victim of fraud, report it to Action Fraud at www.actionfraud.police.uk or by calling 0300 123 2040. By reporting phishing scams or suspected fraud you are directly helping us in our work to identify and stop these criminals and helping us protect others from these scams.”

Most of the phishing scams reported have one thing in common, they started with an unexpected email or text message.

Here’s some simple advice you can follow when it comes to dealing with phishing scams:

1 - If you have any doubts about a message, contact the organisation directly.

Don’t use the numbers or address in the message – use the details from their official website. Remember, your bank (or any other official source) will never ask you to supply personal information via email.

2 - If you think an email could be a scam, you can report it by forwarding the email to: [email protected]. Send us emails that feel suspicious, even if you're not certain they're a scam - we can check.

3 - Most phone providers are part of a scheme that allows customers to report suspicious text messages for free by forwarding it to 7726. If you forward a text to 7726, your provider can investigate the origin of the text and arrange to block or ban the sender, if it’s found to be malicious. 

4 - If you’ve lost money or provided personal information as a result of a phishing scam, notify your bank immediately and report it to Action Fraud: www.actionfraud.police.uk

For more advice on how to protect yourself online, visit cyberaware.gov.uk