Can you tell the difference between a scam and a genuine message? Take our test

SCAMS are rife and get ever-more sophisticated by the day.

Fraudsters are clever at ripping off big brands and lulling victims into a false sense of security.

AlamyScammers are always coming up with new ideas to con people[/caption]

This week, it was revealed that Facebook is the most impersonated company, followed by Microsoft and WhatsApp.

Could you spot a real email or message from a trusted name against bogus ones?

See if you can identify the real and fake examples listed below.

Instagram

KasperskyReal or fake?[/caption]

This email has been doing the rounds for sometime, telling Instagram users their account has been suspended due to an apparent copyright violation.

It looks pretty legit, with the Instagram logo at the top and very much in the style of Instagram’s usual emails.

But it is actually FAKE.

Once users click the button to verify their account and enter their login details, hackers steal the information you’ve entered.

If you get a message like this, it’s always best to visit the official site yourself and see if you have any notices that way, rather than going through the links.

A big hint to look out for here is the email address as well.

You’d expect an official email to come from instagram.com, not theinstagram.team.

Microsoft

Real or fake?

If you’ve signed up to receive alerts whenever a new device is used to log into your Microsoft account, you can expect something like this.

As before, the email address is key – and this one comes from microsoft.com.

For that reason, it’s REAL.

But be careful, many scammers try to pull this one off as well.

If you’re not sure, again, always best to go via the official site yourself rather than clicking any links.

HMRC

Real or fake?

A tax return sounds very tempting indeed.

But you’re unlikely to get a text like this, which is why it’s FAKE.

Look at the web address – it may contain ‘gov.uk’ in it but after you’ve got random words and numbers that don’t make any sense – an immediate red flag.

Uber

Real or fake?

One trick scammers love is triggering you to make knee-jerk reactions.

Seeing a £217 charge is enough to make anyone panic and bolt to solve it without considering whether it’s real or not.

In this case, it is FAKE.

The link is bogus and should not be clicked.

Any matters about your journeys can be found within the Uber app directly, deal with anything there to be safe.

Facebook

Real or fake?

Account login codes are another way scammers try to get you.

This email not only uses a dubious email address but has some odd spelling and grammar.

For this reason, it’s FAKE.

Banking

Real or fake?

Banking is the biggy you really need to be extra careful with.

In this email, it states the bank will use your title, last name and last four digits of an account that you have, to help you spot a genuine email.

There are also no alarming prompts or links to click – so nothing for them to gain.

This example is therefore REAL.

But still, go via the official banking site yourself if you’re not sure.

AlamyScams have been on the up drastically since the pandemic began[/caption]

In other news, people are increasingly unable to tell apart fake faces made by AI and real ones, new research suggests.

Websites could crash in a couple of months if owners fail to make major change ahead of Chrome, Edge and Firefox ‘version 100’ update.

Uber has revealed the worst and best cities for passenger ratings.

And the naughtiest ever emoji combinations to be careful of have been revealed.

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