Nearly 21 million reports have been submitted to the Suspicious Email Reporting Service (SERS), resulting in the removal of over 235,000 malicious websites, according to the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) and the City of London Police.
Launched in April 2020, SERS allows the public to forward suspicious emails for automated scanning.
Mobile phone providers also offer a service for reporting suspicious text messages by forwarding them to 7726, resulting in the removal of 54,000 text message scams as of 31 May 2023.
Commander Nik Adams, from City of London Police, said: “Every year, thousands of people in the UK are scammed by a fraudulent email or text message. Phishing scams, whether it’s a text message claiming you have missed a delivery and are required to pay a redelivery fee, or an email claiming to be from your bank are a common security challenges that both individuals and businesses across the UK face on a daily basis.
“If you receive an email or text message that you think might be a scam, don’t respond to it or click any links in the message or email. Instead, contact the organisation directly using contact information from the company’s official website, and not the links or numbers provided in the message itself.
“If you think you have been a victim of fraud, report it to Action Fraud at www.actionfraud.police.uk or by calling 0300 123 2040. By reporting phishing scams or suspected fraud, you are directly helping us in our work to identify and stop these criminals and helping us protect others from these scams.”
