Learning · official-source review · reviewed 2026-10-04
A familiar logo does not verify a message. Pause before you open its link or attachment.
Pause, inspect the request, and verify it through a contact route you already trust.
People who receive unexpected requests about an account, payment, delivery, or password.
Use the source document or official route that applies to your situation. This guide does not contact another person or verify external information.
Do not open the link or attachment. Do not reply with a password or code.
Write what the message asks you to do. Note its deadline or pressure statement.
Open the company's known app or type its known website address. Do not use the message link.
Use a phone number or contact page from a record you already trust.
Follow the company's confirmed instructions. Report or delete the message if it is false.
A text says that a parcel is delayed. The reader opens the carrier app from a saved bookmark. The app shows no issue. The reader does not use the text link.
Use your own source and details. The example is not a record about a real person or organization.
U.S. Federal Trade Commission · reviewed 2026-10-04
What this source supports: Avoid unexpected links and attachments. Verify a request through a known company route, not contact details in the message.
Source limit: A suspicious sign does not prove that a message is fraudulent. Confirm with the named organization through an independent route.
These sources support the statements above. They do not show that every person needs this guide. They do not show a specific result.
A warning sign does not prove that a message is false. Confirm the request with the named organization. This guide does not inspect messages or links.
A suspicious sign does not prove that a message is fraudulent. Confirm with the named organization through an independent route.
Use current instructions from the responsible organization. This guide is a planning aid, not an official decision or a substitute for qualified advice.
Each App has a separate job. Choose the one that fits your next step.
APP 1
Mark the warning signs you can see. Get a pause-and-verify note, not a fraud verdict.
Free · no account · no upload
Open Pause and Review a Suspicious MessageAPP 2
Record which known route you used and what the organization confirmed.
Free · no account · no upload
Open Record an Independent VerificationThe Apps run in this browser. They do not send or save entries. Copy, download, or print only when you choose.
This guide uses short, direct instructions as an ASD-STE100-style writing target. It is not a formal certification.