10 Screenshots That Show What a Phishing Scam Really Looks Like

Imagine this: Sarah checks her inbox one January morning in 2026. An email from “HMRC” promises a quick £500 tax refund. It looks spot on, with the crown logo and a blue header. She clicks the link, enters her bank details, and loses £2,000 in hours. Stories like hers fill UK news feeds. Phishing scams trick people into handing over logins, card numbers, or personal data through fake emails, texts, or sites that mimic trusted brands.

These cons prey on trust. Scammers spoof senders, clone sites, and push panic buttons. In the UK, they target HMRC hard near the 31 January tax deadline, with over 4,800 self-assessment fakes reported since early 2025. Banks, PayPal, Amazon, and Microsoft face surges too. This post shares 10 real-world screenshots from 2026 UK cases. We group them: four government traps, three bank and PayPal alerts, three tech giant lures.

By the end, you’ll spot red flags like dodgy sender addresses, urgent demands, and sketchy links. Hover before you click. Check apps or sites directly. These examples, drawn from HMRC warnings, bank alerts, and reports like GOV.UK’s phishing gallery, arm you to stay safe.

Government Scams That Mimic Official UK Notices

Scammers plaster UK government logos on emails and texts. They ramp up pressure with “act now” tones to grab data fast. In 2026, these hit hard around tax time. We cover four: HMRC refunds, Home Office alerts, customs duties, parking fines. Real government bodies never request bank info by email. Always verify on gov.uk.

Screenshot 1: The HMRC Tax Refund Lure

The email blasts: “Urgent: HMRC Tax Rebate Ready. Claim £500 now.” Sender reads no-reply@hmrc.gov.uk, but hover shows a weird domain. The link points to hmrc-refund-claim.co.uk. Picture this screenshot: a crisp blue gov.uk-style header sits atop a form begging for your National Insurance number, sort code, and account details. Red banners scream “Claim before 31 Jan or lose it.”

Red flags jump out. The URL strays from official gov.uk. Offers sound too sweet, with zero personal touches like your name or tax year. Real HMRC pushes refunds through the my.gov.uk portal, not email links. Scammers bank on greed near deadline. Sarah fell here; her details funded fraudsters’ spree.

Ignore it. Log into your Government Gateway account yourself. Report to phishing@hmrc.gov.uk. One click seals the trap, but spotting the fake header breaks it.

Screenshot 2: Home Office Sponsor Licence Panic

“Home Office: Your sponsor licence at risk. Log in now,” the email warns. It spoofs alerts@homeoffice.gov.uk, complete with a shiny badge. Click leads to a gov.uk/sponsorship clone after a fake CAPTCHA. The page steals your login creds.

Screenshot captures gold: official logos frame fields for username, password, and company code. Unsolicited panic targets business owners. Red flags? No prior warning, straight login shove. Real Home Office links verify pages only; they post letters for big issues.

Firms lose thousands yearly to this. The badge fools at first glance, but check sender closely. Report to Action Fraud at actionfraud.police.uk. Forward the email too. Business pros, bookmark gov.uk/sponsorship and go direct.

Screenshot 3: HMRC Customs Duty Demand on Your Parcel

“HMRC: Pay £250 customs duty or parcel destroyed,” screams the email. It mimics package trackers from Royal Mail or DHL. Link hits a site with the HMRC shield and a card payment form.

In the screenshot, fields grab your address alongside card info. Fear builds with threats of destruction or fines. Common via SMS too. Red flags: no matching real tracking number, demands cash upfront. Real HMRC sends posted letters; couriers bill separately.

Picture the panic: a held gift from abroad vanishes unless you pay. Contact your courier direct. Use tools like GOV.UK’s HMRC email checker. Delete and block.

Screenshot 4: The Bogus UK Parking Fine Notice

SMS or email hits: “Unpaid parking fine. Pay £100 via link.” Fake council sender like “parking@westminster.gov.uk.” Site gov-parkingpay.co.uk apes gov.uk, asks car reg then bank details.

Screenshot shows a grey header, penalty form with deadlines. Ties into bank or PayPal payments sometimes. Red flags: tight 48-hour clock, non-gov.uk URL. Councils post fines by mail.

Drivers sweat court dates over this. The form looks legit till you spot the domain twist. Always check council sites direct. Forward texts to 7726. Real fines arrive on paper.

Bank and PayPal Alerts Designed to Trick You

These play on cash worries with “account locked” cries. HSBC and Barclays see spikes in 2026. Fake logins push for details. Hover links, use bank apps instead. Real banks text or letter, skip email buttons. Three examples ahead.

Screenshot 5: Suspicious Activity on Your Bank Account

“Unusual login on your HSBC account. Verify now.” Big red button to hsbc-security-login.com. Screenshot mimics the app: HSBC logo, green padlock bar, fields for account number, PIN, password.

Panic sets in over “strange India login.” Generic sender like security@hsbc.co.uk hides fakes. No specifics on your activity. Real banks send app pushes or short texts with codes.

The padlock sells safety, but hover kills it. Go straight to hsbc.co.uk via bookmark. Change passwords if worried. Banks freeze fraud fast if you call.

Screenshot 6: PayPal Payment That Supposedly Failed

“PayPal: Recent payment failed. Update details.” Red banner atop, sender support@paypal.co.uk. Site paypal-update-security.com demands email, password, card.

Screenshot flaunts a fake transaction list and receipt. Urgency pushes “fix in 24 hours.” Red flags: pressure cooker tone, wrong domain. Verified PayPal mails from verified@paypal.com, links to app logins only.

It apes your last buy perfectly. Check PayPal app direct. No links needed. Victims update and watch accounts drain.

Screenshot 7: Urgent PayPal Invoice from a Fake Vendor

“PayPal: Pay invoice or face late fees.” Fake PDF attachment. Site shows invoice page, yellow “Pay Now” to login trap. Hits businesses hard.

Chatty tone: “Hi team, settle this pronto.” Red flags: surprise bills, risky attachments. View real invoices in your PayPal dashboard.

Screenshot nails vendor details, but sender betrays. Log in direct. Alert PayPal support.

Tech Giants Amazon and Microsoft Phishing Traps

Cloned brands snag shares, orders, chats. 2026 sees AI boosts here. Thumbnails tempt “view now” to fakes. Real alerts hit apps. Amazon orders, OneDrive files, Teams messages next.

Screenshot 8: Amazon Order You Didn’t Place

“Amazon: Suspicious order placed. Cancel now.” Fake receipt lists gadgets. “View order” to clone site asking CVV post-login.

Orange logo gleams in screenshot, Your Orders page exact. No account nods like past buys. Pressure: “Act before dispatch.”

Red flags: generic greeting, haste. Open Amazon app. Real emails link safe.

Screenshot 9: Shared File in Microsoft OneDrive

“Microsoft: New OneDrive file shared. View here.” Thumbnail teases docs. Site onedrive-login.microsoftt.com steals login on blue page.

No-reply@onedrive.com spoofs. Open button tempts. Real shares name sender.

Preview hooks curiosity. Use OneDrive app. Check Microsoft’s phishing tips.

Screenshot 10: Missed Message in Microsoft Teams

“Teams: Missed message from colleague. Log in.” teams@outlook.com fake. Purple header, chat bubble preview.

Pushes work login. Unsolicited for most. Real Teams buzzes in-app.

Preview dangles urgency. Bookmark teams.microsoft.com.

Spot urgent pleas, fake domains, login begs across all. Hover links. Use apps direct. Turn on 2FA. Forward to 7726 or report@phishing.gov.uk. Tell Action Fraud.

These shots equip you for 2026 threats. You’ve seen the traps; now dodge them. Share this with mates. Spot a scam? Drop it in comments. Stay sharp.

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