# Pause before you click.

Check an urgent message through a channel you trust.

By Avenvale · Sources checked 2026-09-23
Canonical: https://avenvale.app/training/scams/phishing
Language: English

A familiar logo does not prove who sent a message. Pressure to act quickly is a reason to pause, especially when a message asks for a payment or sign-in.

## Try this

1. Leave the message’s link alone. Open the company’s official app or a bookmark you already trust.
2. Check whether the same issue appears there. Use a known contact number if you need help.
3. Report suspicious messages through your email or messaging app, then delete them.

## Practice scenario (fictional)

A text says your account closes in ten minutes. What is the safer next step?

1. Sign in through its link immediately
2. Open the official app and check there

Safer response: Open the official app and check there

An independent check breaks the message’s pressure. A professional design, familiar name, or encrypted website does not establish who is behind it.

Lesson completion records practice, not a scan or certification.

## Official guidance

- [FTC · Recognize phishing](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/how-recognize-avoid-phishing-scams)