How to Detect a Phishing Scam: Text, Email & Link (2026 Guide)

What is a phishing scam?

A phishing scam is a fraudulent message — sent by text, email, or social media — designed to trick you into clicking a malicious link, revealing your password, or sharing financial details. Scammers impersonate trusted organizations such as banks, government agencies (IRS, HMRC, CRA, ATO), or delivery services. According to the FBI IC3 2025 Annual Report, phishing remains the #1 cybercrime in the United States, with losses exceeding $3.5 billion annually.

How to check if a link or message is a scam (3 steps)

1. Do not click the link. Copy the URL or the full message text instead.
2. Paste it into SentorIQ.com. The AI analyzes it in under 3 seconds using VirusTotal threat databases and real-time WHOIS domain verification.
3. Read the result. High Risk = likely fraudulent. Low Risk = appears safe — but stay alert.
4. Report if dangerous. USA → FTC · UK → forward to 7726 · Canada → CAFC · Australia → Scamwatch

Why this works: SentorIQ is powered by Anthropic Claude as its primary AI engine, with DeepSeek and Mistral as fallbacks, combined with VirusTotal (90+ antivirus engines) and live domain analysis — no technical knowledge needed.

7 warning signs of a phishing message

1. Urgency or threat — "Your account will be suspended in 24 hours"
2. Suspicious sender — the email domain doesn't match the real organization
3. Unexpected request — asking for passwords, card numbers, or OTP codes
4. Generic greeting — "Dear Customer" instead of your real name
5. Mismatched URL — hovering shows a different address than what's displayed
6. Unrecognized domain — e.g. irs-refund-secure.net instead of irs.gov
7. Unsolicited attachment — especially .zip, .exe, or .docx files

Most common phishing scams by country (2026)

What to do if you clicked a phishing link

1. Do not enter any information on the page that opened
2. Close the tab immediately
3. Change your passwords — especially email and banking
4. Enable two-factor authentication (2FA) on all important accounts
5. Monitor your bank account for the next 30 days
6. Report to your national authority (see links above)

SentorIQ vs other phishing checkers

Frequently asked questions

How do I know if a text message is a scam?

Copy the link or text from the SMS and paste it into SentorIQ.com. The AI analyzes it in under 3 seconds and tells you if it is a scam. Common signs include urgency ('your account is suspended'), requests for passwords or card numbers, and links that don't match the sender's real domain.

How do I check if a link is safe?

Do not click the link. Copy it and paste it into SentorIQ.com — the AI checks the URL against VirusTotal threat databases and performs a real-time WHOIS domain analysis to determine if the link is a phishing site.

What should I do if I clicked a phishing link?

Do not enter any information on the page. Close the tab immediately. Change your passwords for email and banking. Enable two-factor authentication. Report to your national authority: USA (FTC reportfraud.ftc.gov), UK (report.phishing.gov.uk), Canada (antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca), Australia (scamwatch.gov.au).

Is SentorIQ free?

Yes. SentorIQ's free plan allows 3 analyses per day with no credit card or account required. The Premium plan offers unlimited analyses, active email address monitoring against data breaches, and all advanced protection features for $7.99/month.

Can SentorIQ tell me if my email has been leaked in a data breach?

Yes. SentorIQ Premium includes active monitoring of your email addresses against known data breaches (powered by Have I Been Pwned). When a breach is detected, you receive an instant email alert with the details of compromised data — passwords, usernames, financial information — and actionable steps to protect yourself. This feature is available in the Surveillance section of your dashboard.

Can SentorIQ analyze a text message (SMS)?

Yes. Paste the full SMS text or just the link it contains. SentorIQ analyzes both the URL structure and the message content for fraud signals using AI powered by Anthropic Claude.

What AI does SentorIQ use?

SentorIQ uses Anthropic Claude as its primary AI engine, with DeepSeek as the first fallback and Mistral as the secondary fallback. All analyses are enriched with VirusTotal and real-time WHOIS domain data.

Does SentorIQ work outside France and Canada?

Yes. SentorIQ is available worldwide in English and French. It detects scams from any country including the USA, UK, Canada, Australia, France, Belgium, and Switzerland. Spanish, Portuguese, and Arabic are coming soon.

Has your email address been exposed in a data breach?

Targeted phishing often starts with a data breach. If your email appears in a stolen database, scammers already know your personal details — making it trivial to craft convincing, personalized messages. This technique is called spear phishing, and it bypasses the skepticism you've built up against generic scams.

SentorIQ Premium includes active email address monitoring powered by Have I Been Pwned, the global reference for data breach databases. As soon as a new breach involves your email, you receive an instant alert detailing:

• The breach name and the affected website
• What was exposed — passwords, usernames, financial details, and more
• Actionable steps to protect yourself immediately

This feature is available in the Surveillance tab of your SentorIQ dashboard. The Premium plan covers one email address; an upcoming Family plan will allow monitoring up to 5 addresses.

Sources

• FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) — 2025 Annual Report
• UK NCSC — Threat Report 2025
• Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC) — Statistics 2025
• ACCC Scamwatch — Annual Report 2025
• APWG Phishing Activity Trends Report — Q1 2026