Phishing is a scam that uses email to try and trick you into giving out confidential information. They will often use familiar logos and look like they've come from a genuine company or person, but are actually sent by criminals who want to access your online accounts and details.
Some of the common giveaways that you’re dealing with a scammer...
- Authority: Is the message claiming to be from someone official?
- Urgency: Are you being told you only have a limited time to respond?
- Emotion: Are you expecting to receive a message like this and does it make you feel panicked, curious or hopeful?
If you spot a phishing email claiming to be from us, simply forward it to phishing@talktalk.co.uk and we’ll take care of it.
Other things to look out for
- Mismatched URLs - The email may contain a link to a website that looks genuine but isn't. You can usually tell if the link is going to direct you to a trustworthy website by hovering your mouse over the link. If the linked website address is different from the text displayed in the email, it is probably fraudulent and could link to a fake website.
- Unbelievable offers - "Congratulations! You've won!" Emails containing exclusive offers that are too good to be true are usually scams. An email congratulating you on a prize draw or competition you've won but never entered usually contain links to "claim your prize". These links will direct you to a fake website where you could be asked to give confidential information.
- Sender's email address - It's worth checking that the sender's email address matches who they say they are.
- Confidential questions - You should be wary of any email that asks you to give out personal or confidential information no matter how realistic it looks. A legitimate email shouldn't ask you for security details like pin numbers, passwords or account details.
- Dear Customer - Any email that doesn't use your name and addresses you as 'customer' is a warning sign for a phishing scam. Scammers usually send thousands of phishing emails at a time so keep an eye out for generic greetings.
Don't be tempted to reply to these...
- Requests to send money - As a general rule, any email with requests to send money should be considered a scam. Scammers might ask you for money to cover expenses or fees in return for a service.
- URGENT! IMPORTANT! - You could receive an email to say 'your account will be closed' and scammers will try and make you panic and react quickly to send confidential information. These emails are usually made to look like they've been sent from your bank.
- The message appears to be from a government agency These phishing emails claim to be from government departments such as HMRC or law enforcement agencies and are created to scare and pressure you into giving out confidential information.
Recent Phishing emails
As we become aware of current phishing scams, we will update the list below so you can see exactly what the scam email looks like. If you use our email platform, Webmail, we've added an email authentication system called DMARC. This confirms they're genuine and have been verified as they come with a padlock in the new padlock column.
If you've received a phishing email claiming to be from us, please report it by following the steps in our guide Report a phishing or spam email.
Account Team Protection - 27th November
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ACCOUNT VERIFICATION - 26th November
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Important Notification - 25th November
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Important Notification - 25th November
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Please review and update your contact details at your earliest convenience. - 26th November
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Your Latest TalkTalk Bill is Here - 25th November
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**TalkTalk Terms & Condition Update ** - 25th November
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