Going phishing?
11th November 2025
Going Phishing?
Phishing is one of the most common and dangerous scams, and it can have a big, negative impact if successful.
Watch our video to discover what phishing is, why it is a risk, and how to stay safe from phishing attempts.
Scroll below the video to read the video transcription.
For best results, click the full screen button at the bottom right of the video. Highlighted in red in the image below.
Video Transcription:
Going Phishing?
Phishing is when cyber criminals try to trick you into revealing personal information to steal from you.
Information like your address, phone number, date of birth, bank details, credit card numbers, and passwords.
The most common phishing attempts are: fake emails, texts, adverts, fake websites.
Scammers can pretend to be someone in authority like: Government agencies, Banks, Crime agencies, Shops or websites.
They use urgency like: A fine that must be paid, an emergency, a situation with a consequence.
They play with your emotions to make you afraid, curious or worried.
Scammers use scarcity like: Something in short supply, Concert tickets, Cures for illness, Something you might miss out on, Current events, Things in the news, Time specific holidays, Time specific things like filing tax returns.
Protect yourself. Do not give out your details to strangers. Hang up and check the number. Check the email or web address is authentic. Be suspicious.
Music, ‘Oedupus’ by Jack Adkins
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Report phishing
It’s important to report phishing attempts if you see or receive them, even if you’ve not been a victim of the scam.
- Report phishing emails to report@phishing.gov.uk
- Report phishing texts to 7726
- Report calls to 101
- Report a website to Report a suspicious website – NCSC.GOV.UK
If you think you’ve been the victim of a scam, call Police Scotland on 101.
Call your bank to alert them to stop any payments, or to help you recover any money lost.
And for more support call the Cyber and Fraud Hub on 0808 281 3580 or visit their website: cyberfraudhub.org
Learn more
You can learn more about phishing through any of our free, accessible resources.
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My.Lead On My.Lead take the “Cyber: Staying safe on social media” course |
BSL Watch our BSL video “Staying safe from phishing scams“ |
Easy Read Read our Easy Read guide “How to spot a scam“
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You can also read, or listen to our translated language resources here: Community languages – Lead Scotland | Lead Scotland
And you can learn more from the National Cyber Security Centre here: Phishing: Spot and report scam emails, texts, websites and… – NCSC.GOV.UK
Tools to check out
URL Void is a website safety checker. Before you click a link, copy the url here to check that it is safe. If you get a green result, the website is safe to use.
Ask Silver can help you decide if something is a scam. Send a photo via WhatsApp and receive advice in seconds.
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For organisations
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Or get in touch for a chat by emailing us at cyberproject@lead.org.uk
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