A phishing message pretends to be from someone you trust, a bank, a network, a delivery company, a government office, a friend, to get you to tap a link and type a password, a PIN or card details into a fake page. They have become convincing. These are the signs that give them away.
Warning signs in the message
- Urgency or fear. "Your account will be blocked in 24 hours." "Your parcel is held at customs." "Final notice."
- Something you did not expect. A prize, a refund, a job offer, an inheritance, a parcel you never ordered.
- A request for a password, PIN, code or card number. No real organisation asks for these by message.
- A link to log in or "verify". Real banks and networks tell you to open the app yourself, not to tap a link.
- A sender that is almost right. An email from
mtn-ghana-support@gmail.com, or a WhatsApp number claiming to be a bank. - Pressure to keep it secret or to move the conversation to another app.
Check the link before you tap it
On a phone, press and hold the link (do not tap) to see the full address. On a computer, hover over it.
Read the part just before the first single /. That is who really owns the page:
| Address | Who owns it |
|---|---|
https://www.mtn.com.gh/... | MTN Ghana |
https://mtn.com.gh.verify-account.xyz/... | verify-account.xyz, not MTN |
https://gcb-bank-login.com | Whoever registered that name, not the bank |
https://bit.ly/... | Hidden. A shortened link could go anywhere |
If in doubt, do not use the link at all. Open the organisation's app, or type its address yourself.
On the page itself
- A padlock only means the connection is encrypted. Scam sites have padlocks too.
- A login page reached from a message, asking for your password and then a code sent to your phone, is the classic account theft. Close it.
- Pages that ask for your card number, expiry and CVV to "verify" or "receive" money are always fraud.
QR codes
QR codes on posters, parking meters and in messages are used the same way. Before you open one, look at the address it leads to. The QR reader on this site shows the address first without opening it.
If you already tapped and typed
- Change the password you entered, from the real website or app, immediately. Change it anywhere else you use it too.
- If you entered card details, call your bank to block the card.
- If you entered a MoMo PIN or code, call your network. See mobile money scams.
- Turn on two-step verification.
- In Ghana, report the message to the Cyber Security Authority on 292, and forward scam SMS to your network's fraud line.
If it seems to come from a friend
Accounts get hacked and then message everyone in the contact list. If a friend sends a link with a vague message, "is this you in this video?", or asks for money or a code, call them on their number before doing anything.
Tools that help with this
Free, and they work inside your browser without uploading anything.