Finance glossary
Phishing
Also known as: Smishing, Vishing
In simple terms
Phishing is when fraudsters pretend to be a trusted organisation — by email, text or phone — to trick you into revealing passwords, card details or moving money.
On this page
What does phishing mean?
Phishing is a scam where criminals impersonate a genuine organisation — such as your bank, a delivery firm or a government body — to trick you into handing over sensitive information or making a payment. By email it is “phishing”, by text “smishing”, and by phone “vishing”.
The messages often look convincing and use urgency to rush you.
How phishing works
A message might claim there is a problem with your account, a missed delivery or a suspicious payment, urging you to click a link, log in on a fake site, or share a code. The stolen details are then used to access your accounts or steal money.
Fraudsters can fake (“spoof”) real phone numbers and sender names, so those alone do not prove a message is genuine.
How could this affect me?
Falling for phishing can lead to fraud on your accounts. The best defence is to slow down: never click links or share codes from unexpected messages, and contact the organisation using details you find independently.
Report suspected phishing — you can forward scam texts to 7726 and suspicious emails to the National Cyber Security Centre.
Things to watch out for
- Urgency and threats are designed to rush you — slow down.
- Sender names and numbers can be faked (“spoofed”).
- A genuine bank will never ask for your PIN, password or a one-time code.
Know your rights
- Unauthorised payments resulting from fraud are generally refundable under the Payment Services Regulations 2017 (unless you acted fraudulently or with gross negligence).
- You can report scams to Action Fraud, forward scam texts to 7726 and suspicious emails to report@phishing.gov.uk.
General information, not personal advice
Consumer Credit is an independent information service. We do not provide regulated financial advice or sell financial products. For advice on your own situation, speak to an appropriately authorised firm or a free service such as MoneyHelper. About Consumer Credit.
Sources
We checked this page against these official and authoritative sources.
- National Cyber Security Centre, Phishing: how to report and protect yourself (opens in a new tab). Accessed 22 Aug 2026.