Evidence Centre guide

How to Recognise Online Scams and Impersonation Attempts

Practical checks for suspicious messages, urgent payment requests and impersonation attempts—plus safe next steps if you are unsure.

Written and reviewed by the Another AI Lie Editorial Team · Last reviewed 2 September 2026

In brief: Scams often use urgency, authority and fear to make people act before checking. A polished message can still be fraudulent. The safest response to a surprising request is to pause and contact the organisation using details you find independently.

Pause on urgency

Be cautious when a message demands immediate payment, a password reset, a one-time code or secrecy. Real organisations may communicate urgently, but urgency is never proof that a message is genuine.

Verify outside the message

Do not use the phone number, link or reply address supplied in a suspicious message. Open the organisation’s official website yourself, use a known app, or call a number on a statement or trusted directory.

Inspect the request

Check the sender address, domain spelling and destination URL. Look for requests for credentials, payment, remote access or codes. A familiar logo and correct grammar do not confirm authenticity.

Protect accounts and evidence

Do not share verification codes or passwords. Save screenshots and report the attempt through the official channel. If you entered details, change affected passwords from a trusted device and contact your bank or provider promptly.

Share a useful warning

When warning others, avoid reposting the scam link. Describe the impersonated organisation, the method and the safe verification route instead.

A quick evidence routine

Work from the original material whenever possible. Keep a note of the source, the date and the specific claim you are checking, then distinguish what you directly observed from what an account or caption says. Search for independent evidence that could confirm or challenge it. This simple record makes it easier to revisit a conclusion if new information appears.

Good verification is often less dramatic than a quick verdict. If the evidence is mixed, say so. If you cannot establish the source or context, treat that uncertainty as part of the result rather than filling the gap with an assumption. A careful pause can prevent a false claim from travelling further.

Before you share

Ask whether your wording reflects the strength of the evidence. Link to the original source when it is available, avoid attacking the person who posted the material, and correct a previous share if better information emerges. These habits improve the quality of the information around a claim as well as the accuracy of one post.

Useful primary resources

Try it on a suspicious message

Check the claims without opening its links

Paste the message text, but remove names, addresses, account numbers and other personal information first. We will separate checkable claims from presentation-risk signals.