Spot the scam: how to use AI as your second pair of eyes
Scams have become very good at looking real. The bank logo is perfect. The wording sounds official. The text arrives at the exact moment you happen to be expecting a parcel. Falling for one does not mean you were careless. It means the people behind it put a great deal of effort into making it convincing.
Here is the good news. You now have a quiet, patient helper that will look at any suspicious message with you, tell you what it spots and is happy to look at as many as you like. That helper is a free AI tool. ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot or Google Gemini will all do it. Think of it as a sensible friend who happens to be awake at all hours and has seen every scam going.
Scammers are professionals
Before we go any further, I want to say this clearly. Scams work because the people behind them are clever, persistent and very good at their job. They know exactly when to strike, what language to use and how to make something fake look completely genuine. The right response is calm, quick action and the best action, before anything else, is to pause and check.
The simple three-step approach
When something arrives that you’d like a second opinion on (a text, an email, a phone call) you now have help on hand. Here is all you need to do.
Open a free AI tool in your web browser. ChatGPT at chatgpt.com, Microsoft Copilot at copilot.microsoft.com or Google Gemini at gemini.google.com will all work perfectly. Then type out or paste in what the message said. You can also describe a phone call in your own words. Finally, ask it plainly: “Does this look like a scam?” That is the whole technique.
If you’d rather not do this yourself, try my free Scam Checker. Paste in a message, describe what happened or upload a photo of a text or email and it will ask the right questions and tell you plainly whether it looks like a scam.
Four scams that catch people out (and what to ask)
Here are four of the most common ones, with the exact question you could type to your AI helper.
The missed parcel
A text arrives saying a delivery could not be completed and a small fee (often just £1.45) is needed to rearrange it. There is a link to tap. If you happen to be expecting something, it feels entirely plausible. The giveaway is that a real courier never charges you a tiny fee through a random link. That small amount is simply bait to capture your card details. Ask your AI helper: “I received a text saying my parcel needs a £1.45 fee to be redelivered, with a link to pay. Is this likely to be a scam and what should I do?”
The bank that phones you
The phone rings. A calm, professional voice says they are from your bank’s fraud team. There has been suspicious activity on your account and to keep your money safe you need to move it to a “secure account” straight away. The giveaway: a genuine bank will never ask you to move money to another account and never rushes you. Urgency is the weapon. Ask your AI helper: “Someone phoned saying they were my bank’s fraud team and told me to move my money to a safe account. Is this how a real bank behaves?”
The surprise tax refund
An email, apparently from HMRC, says you are owed a refund, often a very specific amount like £312.60. You only need to confirm your bank details through the link to claim it. The logo and wording look convincing. The giveaway: HMRC does not announce refunds by email or text and never asks for bank details that way. An unexpected windfall is a classic hook. Ask your AI helper: “I have an email saying HMRC owes me a tax refund and I should enter my bank details on a website. Does HMRC really contact people this way?”
The surprise renewal
An email arrives saying a subscription (often for antivirus software) will renew today for an eye-watering sum, perhaps £299.99. If you did not authorise it, the email says, ring the number immediately to cancel. The giveaway: the alarming price is designed to panic you into ringing. The number leads straight to the scammer, who will then ask for remote access to your computer. That is when the real damage begins. Ask your AI helper: “I received an email saying a subscription I do not remember is about to charge me £299.99, with a number to call to cancel. Is this a known scam?”
Questions you can use word for word
Plain English works beautifully. Here are a few ready-made questions you can simply paste into any AI tool alongside whatever message you have received.
“Here is a message I received. Please tell me whether it looks like a scam and explain what made you think so.”
“Is this email pretending to be from a company I trust? What signs should I look for?”
“Someone has asked me to do this on the phone. Is that a normal, safe request or a warning sign?”
“I am not sure if this website is genuine. What should I check before I type anything into it?”
Five golden rules to keep alongside AI
AI is a wonderful second opinion but it works best alongside these good habits. Slow down. Anything urging you to act right now deserves a pause and a closer look. Scammers rely on panic. Never tap links in unexpected messages; if you want to reach your bank, type their address yourself or use the number on the back of your card. No genuine bank will ever move your money for you or ask for a one-time passcode. If in doubt, hang up and check. Wait five minutes, then ring the official number. A real caller will be happy for you to check. Talk to someone. A quick word with a friend, a family member or your AI helper turns a private worry into a shared, solvable one.
Quick answers
What is the quickest way to check if something might be a scam?
Open a free AI tool such as ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot or Google Gemini in your browser, paste in the message (or describe what happened on the phone) and ask plainly: “Does this look like a scam?”
Would a genuine bank ever ask me to move my money to a “safe account”?
No. A real bank will never ask you to move your money to another account and will never rush you. Real banks give you time to think and check.
Does HMRC really contact people by email or text about a tax refund?
No. HMRC does not announce refunds by email or text and never asks for your bank details that way.
I think I have already given my details away. What should I do?
Contact your bank straight away using the number on the back of your card, then report it to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040. There is no shame in it, only sensible next steps.
What is the single most useful habit to protect myself?
Slow down. Anything urging you to act right now deserves a pause and a closer look. Scammers rely on panic.
If you think you have already been caught
You are far from alone and acting quickly really does help. Contact your bank straight away using the number on the back of your card. Then report it to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040. There is absolutely no shame in it, only sensible next steps and the sooner the better.
A note on dates. Everything here was checked when it was written and I go back over my posts regularly to keep them up to date. Apps, prices and rules do change, so for anything important a quick look at the official source is worth it.
Come and see this demonstrated live
At Kevin’s free library talks he shows exactly how to check a suspicious message using AI, live on screen, with real examples. It takes about thirty seconds and gives people enormous confidence. Come along for free. No booking needed.
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