This guide helps with
- Know the signs that a text may be genuine
- Recognise common warning signs of a scam
- Learn how to verify contact independently
- Avoid sharing personal or payment details unsafely
- Know what to do if you think a text is fake
5 min
What's happening
Texts can be a legitimate way to reach you, but scammers also send fake messages that look official. The safest approach is never to act on a text straight away. Instead, take a moment to check it is genuine before clicking any link, replying with details, or making a payment.
This is general information, not legal advice. If you need advice, the free services linked below can help.
Warning signs of a scam
Be cautious if a text:
- Creates urgency or threatens immediate consequences
- Asks you to pay via an unusual method, such as gift cards or transfers to a personal account
- Requests your full bank details, passwords or PINs
- Contains a link to a website that does not match our real address
- Has spelling errors or an unfamiliar sender
A genuine business will never ask for your full passwords or PINs.
How to verify it's real
- Do not click links in the text or reply with personal details.
- Find our contact details independently — from a letter you trust or by typing our website address yourself.
- Quote any reference in the text and ask us to confirm whether the message is genuine.
- If it is genuine, continue through a channel you have checked.
- If it is not, do not engage with it.
Our guide on verifying genuine contact walks through this in more detail.
Who to contact
If you are unsure whether a text is real, contact us directly through a channel you trust, such as our contact page, rather than the details in the message. If you believe the text is a scam, you can also report it to the relevant scam-reporting service in your area.
Good to know
- Never act on a text straight away — verify it first
- Genuine contact will never ask for your passwords or PINs
- Find our details independently, not from the message
- If a text seems fake, do not engage and consider reporting it
FAQ
Does Merion send texts at all?
Contact can include texts, but you should always verify a message independently before acting on it. When in doubt, reach us through a channel you have checked yourself.
What if I already clicked a link?
Do not enter any details on the page. If you shared bank information, contact your bank promptly, and reach us through a trusted channel to check the account.
How can I be sure a payment request is genuine?
Never pay from a text link. Verify our details independently and pay only through a channel you have confirmed is genuinely ours.
Still stuck? Our team is happy to help you sort it out.