Bromley Trading Standards is urging residents to stay vigilant against scam emails designed to trick readers into handing over personal information – which can lead to residents being defrauded.
Fraudsters often pose as trusted organisations, such as banks, delivery companies, or government departments. Their emails may contain links to fake websites that look genuine but are ultimately designed to steal people's details.
How to protect yourself
- Check emails carefully – don’t click on links, open attachments, or scan QR codes in emails when you are not completely sure that email is genuine.
- Verify the sender – if the email claims to be from a known organisation, contact them directly using the company's official contact details.
Did you know?
You can report suspicious emails by forwarding them to: report@phishing.gov.uk.
Since April 2025, over 41 million suspicious emails have been reported to the Suspicious Email Reporting Service, leading to the removal of 393,395 scam websites.
Learn to spot the signs
Scam emails often:
- Arrive unexpectedly from an unknown address
- Create a sense of urgency ("your account will be closed!")
- Contain spelling or grammar mistakes (be aware that the use of AI is reducing spelling errors, including in scam emails)
- Provide links to fake websites
- Use generic greetings like "Dear Customer"
- Ask for personal or financial information
Visit the National Cyber Security Centre website or the Which? website for more advice on how to spot email scams.
Report and information
Contact your bank's fraud team if you think you've been scammed: Call 159 – Stop Scams UK
If you have been tricked into sending money by bank payment, check out the Toolkit and UK Finance Authorised Push Payment Fraud guidance for more information on recovering lost money
Visit the NCSC website for advice on what to do if you have been a victim of email scam.
Report suspicious emails by forwarding them to: mailto:report@phishing.gov.uk or by visiting the NCSC website.
Report to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or on the Action Fraud website.
Contact Citizens Advice for help and advice on 0808 223 1133 or on the Citizens Advice website.
Visit our webpage for more Trading Standards advice.
For general information about scams in various languages, visit the Friends Against Scams website.